Legal Epidemiology: The Empirical Jurisprudence of Public Health and Health Justice

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks to codify the role of legal epidemiology as a foundational pillar of modern governance. We move beyond traditional legal analysis toward a rigorous and empirical science of law. At its core, legal epidemiology treats the law as a determinant of health. It is an intervention that can be mapped, measured, and evaluated with the same scientific scrutiny as traditional population health research. We invite contributions that transcend standard descriptions of law found in the books to explore the reality of law in action. Our focus is specifically on how the structural architecture of legal systems directly influences population health trajectories while simultaneously addressing systemic inequities. By synthesizing diverse perspectives across various sectors, this Special Issue highlights the hidden health laws residing outside traditional healthcare departments. This includes the health implications of environmental regulations, housing codes, labor law, and criminal justice reform. We expect to receive original empirical research that translates complex legal texts into quantifiable data, alongside systematic reviews and methodological frameworks that offer new ways to conduct policy surveillance. The goal of this collection is to provide a robust evidence base for policymakers, ensuring that future legal frameworks are grounded in scientific reality and a profound commitment to health justice.

Dr. Monideepa B. Becerra
Dr. Paulchris Okpala
Dr. Glenn Turner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Laws is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.