Self-introduction
Hello everyone. My name is Adrienne Sala, and I am an Assistant Professor at Waseda University.
In my research I am interested in analyzing the dynamics of institutional change and the intricacies of public policy-making. My research predominantly revolves around the pivotal role played by judicial recourse in influencing these critical processes. One significant dimension of my research is the study of ‘judicialization’ concerning social and environmental issues. Rather than viewing the judiciary as a mechanism for enforcing top-down directives, I explore the democratic legitimacy it offers individuals. I investigate whether recourse to the courts represents a distinctive form of democratic participation. This approach invites us to question what the utilization of the judiciary reveals about the formulation of regulations, laws, and policies that are intended to safeguard the public interest.
Recent Research Interests
The pressing challenges of our time, such as climate change and its far-reaching implications, requires a comprehensive approach to governance. This approach should be characterized by transparency, active participation, and decentralization, fostering collective responsibility among a diverse range of stakeholders, including governments, corporations, organizations, citizens, and consumers. The escalating frequency of litigation, particularly the global rise in climate change-related legal actions, highlights the limitations of current multilevel governance structures.
In my research, I seek to unravel the underlying factors that contribute to these shortcomings, shedding light on intricate dynamics such as conflicts of interest, power imbalances, knowledge accessibility, lived experiences, and financial resources.
In my teaching, I am dedicated to developing courses that are grounded in my research and that equip students with the tools to understand contemporary social and environmental issues. I take an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on Comparative Politics, Economic Institutionalism, and Political Sociology of International Relations to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of complex global challenges.
Profile
I hold a Ph.D. in Institutional Economy and have a diverse background that includes business and Japanese studies. I started my education at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilization (INALCO) in Paris. Subsequently, I gained valuable professional experience while working with a prominent French luxury company in Tokyo. Returning to Paris, I enrolled in a Ph.D. program at EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales). During this time, I have been awarded the MEXT scholarship, which enabled me to study at Hitotsubashi University for two years (2011-2013). Upon my return to France, I held positions as a lecturer at INALCO (2013-2015) and later as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University Paris Diderot (2016-2017). From 2017 to 2019, I served as an Assistant Professor at Science Po and Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS). Subsequently, I returned to Tokyo from 2019 to 2023, where I worked as a Researcher at the French Research Institute on Japan, hosted at the Maison Franco-Japonaise. This institute is affiliated with CNRS and the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. I also had the privilege of being a Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo (2019-2022), during which time I conducted research and engaged in stimulating collaborations. From September 2023, I assume the role of Assistant Professor at Waseda University, a new and exciting phase of my academic career.
