Janka Deli

I am a JSD candidate at Stanford Law School. My research focuses on the relationship between the rule of law – the sine qua non of any functional legal system as well as the cornerstone of democracy – and economic outcomes. Theory and empirical research on the rule of law and economic growth suggests a positive relationship between them. Implicit in that theory and the supporting evidence is the expectation that a rule of law decline would result in negative economic effects. This expectation, however, has not been tested yet. If political regimes responsible for the erosion of the rule of law do not experience negative economic consequences to such conduct, they can be economically sustainable and, thus, more likely to politically sustain themselves as well. My research investigates the effects of events that reportedly negatively impacted the rule of law on firm value and bilateral trade in Europe, leveraging quantitative methods. I have developed a novel methodological approach to conduct rule of law impact studies without using any composite rule of law measures.

I received my JD degree from the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Pazmany Peter Catholic University in Budapest, Hungary, along with a certificate in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Prior to obtaining my JSM degree at Stanford Law School and transitioning into the JSD program, I worked as a junior associate in financial regulation and compliance. Besides my degree work, I have contributed a chapter to the first Hungarian textbook on the behavioral economic analysis of law.