Ex Machina: Analytical platforms, Law and the Challenges of Computational Legal Science

Nicola Lettieri, Antonio Altamura, Rosalba Giugno, Alfonso Guarino, Delfina Malandrino, Alfredo Pulvirenti, Francesco Vicidomini and Rocco Zaccagnino
Additional contact information
Nicola Lettieri: National Institute for Public Policy Analysis (INAPP), 00198 Rome, Italy
Antonio Altamura: Department of Computer Science, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Rosalba Giugno: Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Alfonso Guarino: Department of Computer Science, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Delfina Malandrino: Department of Computer Science, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Alfredo Pulvirenti: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Francesco Vicidomini: Department of Computer Science, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Rocco Zaccagnino: Department of Computer Science, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy

Future Internet, 2018, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-25

Abstract: Over the years, computation has become a fundamental part of the scientific practice in several research fields that goes far beyond the boundaries of natural sciences. Data mining, machine learning, simulations and other computational methods lie today at the hearth of the scientific endeavour in a growing number of social research areas from anthropology to economics. In this scenario, an increasingly important role is played by analytical platforms: integrated environments allowing researchers to experiment cutting-edge data-driven and computation-intensive analyses. The paper discusses the appearance of such tools in the emerging field of computational legal science. After a general introduction to the impact of computational methods on both natural and social sciences, we describe the concept and the features of an analytical platform exploring innovative cross-methodological approaches to the academic and investigative study of crime. Stemming from an ongoing project involving researchers from law, computer science and bioinformatics, the initiative is presented and discussed as an opportunity to raise a debate about the future of legal scholarship and, inside of it, about the challenges of computational legal science.

Keywords: computational science; analytical platforms; computational legal science; legal informatics; network-based inference; machine learning; crime analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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