The CLEAR project:
understanding the Rule of Law
The Rule of Law is a cornerstone of democracy, justice, and human rights, yet it remains a fragile and often misunderstood ideal. While it provides the framework for protecting these values, its importance can be overshadowed by autocratic and populist rhetoric prioritising efficiency over constitutional principles, undermining public trust in rules and institutions.
The CLEAR Project seeks to address this challenge by combining cognitive science and legal theory insights. By studying how citizens and legal experts conceptualise the Rule of Law and contrasting these with alternative narratives, CLEAR aims to identify the cognitive and emotional factors that influence understanding.
The project is developed in three phases:
CLEAR’s ultimate goal is to provide tools and recommendations for institutions and educational programs to promote a deeper and more accessible understanding of the Rule of Law, fostering informed public engagement without manipulation.
Context and challenges
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Rule of Law and Populist Authoritarianism
Using insights from cognitive science, CLEAR explores how ordinary citizens and legal experts mentally process the Rule of Law compared to alternative views promoted by autocratic and populist rhetoric. The project examines and compares the emotional and cognitive impact of the Rule of Law and an alternative model, identified as Populist Authoritarianism. By reducing the mental effort required to understand the Rule of Law, CLEAR aims to make this foundational ideal more accessible.
Cognitive empowerment
The project rejects manipulative approaches and instead focuses on cognitive empowerment. Empowered citizens are better equipped to make informed decisions, engage responsibly with legal systems, and resist misleading political narratives. CLEAR’s ultimate goal is to strengthen constitutional culture by giving individuals the tools to critically evaluate institutional actions, exercise their rights, and recognise manipulative communication.
Goals and hypothesis
The CLEAR project aims at promoting the Rule of Law through a three-step approach combining theory, empirical research, and practical recommendations:
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Theoretical Foundation
CLEAR begins by analysing the fundamental elements of the Rule of Law, exploring the core concepts (e.g., law, authority, Constitution, legality, rights, equality) that define this ideal.
The goal is to construct a “conceptual system of the Rule of Law” and and contrast it with populist authoritarianism as an alternative framework that prioritises concepts like “leader,” “efficiency,” and “decision-making.” This goal guides the subsequent research phases.
Empirical Research
The project investigates how individuals perceive and process the Rule of Law from a cognitive and emotional perspective. Drawing on psycolinguistic methods, it explores how abstract legal notions are connected to sensory, motor, and affective experiences. It also examines differences in understanding between legal professionals and laypeople and evaluates the cognitive load and emotional responses associated with both the Rule of Law and Populist Authoritarianism.
Practical Applications
CLEAR’s findings will have practical applications, from enhancing civic education to fostering meaningful interactions between citizens and institutions, ensuring the Rule of Law is deeply understood and valued.
The findings will inform recommendations for improving civic education and institutional communication.