The book unpacks the European Union's (EU) connectivity agenda, in the context of global environmental governance, with a particular focus on development partnerships, i. As the world struggles to realise the sustainable development goals (SDGs), mobilizing appropriate resources towards the vulnerable is crucial. Institutionalising collaborative and cooperative frameworks of financial sustainability becomes pivotal. The book makes a case for Brussels to collaborate with the global South towards facilitating innovative solutions for the global good. Trilateral development cooperation between India and EU, under the India-EU Connectivity Strategy is important. Here, the imperative to build North-South cooperation is to bridge the divide between the two and move beyond a two-bloc world, thus underlining multilateralism.

The edited volume explores the unique positionality of girls as they experience gender-based violence. While girl children are often placed under the umbrella of womanhood, their location at the intersection of femalehood and childhood places them in a unique position with regards to various forms of exploitation and violence. Feminist theories, including feminist legal theory, provide pertinent avenues to explore girls' positionalities, yet girl children should also be contextualized in relation to their current lived experiences. This book firstly explores the cultural and visual portrayal of girlhood and its relationship with gender-based violence, and secondly provides case studies of specific violations of human rights encompassing sexual violence and exploitation. It considers legal, social and economic avenues to support girls in reclaiming their identity, dignity and bodily integrity.

Girls Positionalities at the Intersection of Identity and Violence fills an important gap in the literature by offering a comprehensive exploration of the unique situation of girls and gender-based violence in the 21st century. Chapdelaine-Feliciati brings together a remarkable set of scholars and practitioners in various disciplines, from childhood studies, law, history, political science and sociology, to communication and culture, digital arts, game studies and literature. Girls Positionalities covers timely issues, namely online violence, cosmetic surgery and deepfakes, popular platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Onlyfans and Pornhub, while addressing girls in specific situations, such as armed conflict, refugee girls, and violence in the educational setting. While many studies tend to focus on girls as victims, this volume emphasizes ways in which girls can be empowered and engage in the promotion of their rights through awareness-raising, policy reform and a cultural shift in the portrayals of girlhood globally. - Deanne Williams, Professor of English Literature and Girls' Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada, and Co-founder, Girls' Studies Research Network

Girls Positionalities constitutes a significant contribution to the field of girls' studies, feminist theory, child studies, human rights and international law. As a multidisciplinary volume featuring junior as well as senior scholars, it provides novel perspectives on contemporary issues pertaining to girls in both the Global South and the Global North, from gender apartheid, guerilla girls, sexual harassment in education, coercive control in relationships, child marriage, and FGM, to online violence against girls, sexual and reproductive health, girls in video games, and girls' political activism on platforms such as TikTok. Chapdelaine-Feliciati's volume is a "must read" for scholars and practitioners in human rights, feminist studies, childhood studies and girlhood studies. - Annick Farina, Professor of Linguistics, Universite Paris Sorbonne Nord, France

This edited volume examines pathways toward achieving peaceful and sustainable futures, drawing from diverse case studies and conceptual frameworks. As the fourth in a well-received series, it builds upon established research while addressing the practical connections between peace and sustainability. The theme of the book was deeply examined and thoughtfully interrogated at the NERPS 2025 conference in Manila, where researchers and practitioners gathered to discuss these crucial intersections. At the heart of this book is the matter of how environmental sustainability and peace support each other-a connection that deserves greater attention in both research and policy. The collection compiles global perspectives, providing empirical evidence that integrated approaches to peace and sustainability yield more effective outcomes than when these objectives are pursued independently. Contributors analyze various initiatives across educational systems, governance structures, community organizations, and technological innovations to identify both challenges and opportunities for progress. By examining real-world examples, the volume offers insights into successful interventions as well as persistent barriers. This work provides researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with knowledge that can help address interconnected challenges of conflict and environmental change.

The financial crime landscape is rapidly evolving, and so too have government responses over the past decade. This book, a product of the Financial Integrity Hub (FIH), critically examines global vulnerabilities and proposes innovative solutions to combat illicit activities. It addresses the rising sophistication of financial crimes, fuelled by technological advances, globalisation, human fallibility, and regulatory gaps.

The book highlights the systemic nature of financial crime, connecting areas such as AML leadership challenges, exploitation of the gaming sector, AI in crime detection, wildlife trafficking financing, and opportunities in public-private and private-private information sharing. It explores how criminal activity can shift to exploit weaknesses in global systems, from corruption and godfatherism to state capture, underscoring the need for proactivity, along with suitable legal frameworks and enforcement.

Chapters explore the ethical dimensions of financial crime, including the role of professional facilitators, and highlight gaps in current legal frameworks, advocating stronger whistleblower protections, transparency in beneficial ownership, and adaptable regulations.

Through case studies and analysis, this book equips practitioners, policymakers, and academics with the knowledge to better prevent, detect, and mitigate financial crime, contributing to a more secure, transparent global financial system. It is essential reading for professionals across finance, law enforcement, regulation, and academia seeking to understand and mitigate financial crime risks.

Chapter "Geopolitcal of State Capture: Systemic Corruption as a Professional Service" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This open access book provides an in-depth exploration of how presidents, prime ministers, and their cabinets manage relationships and make decisions in times of international crises. The authors focus particularly on war and its effect on executive dualism and presidential activism. This systematic analysis concentrates on four Central European countries - Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia - and examines the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as earlier conflicts: the Kosovo crisis (1999), the Iraq War (2003), the Russo-Georgian War (2008), and Russia's annexation of Crimea and the emergence of separatist "republics" in eastern Ukraine (2014). All these conflicts had a major political impact on the political landscape of Central Europe, often empowering presidents, who represent the state externally and influence foreign and security policies.

This volume draws attention to the encounter between physics and Japanese philosophy during the last century. While a remarkable global network of Japanese philosophy has been growing and enhancing connections with the arts, religion, hermeneutics, aesthetics, the prevailing opinion is that there is no common ground for a meaningful dialogue between theoretical physics and Japanese philosophy. With a special focus on Nishida Kitaro's engagement with scientific thought, this book invites readers to appreciate both the significance of foundational questions arising from relativity and quantum theory for Japanese philosophy, and the insightful influence of certain East Asian philosophical notions on theoretical issues in modern physics.

The idea for this volume came up during the conference 'Philosophy and Physics between Europe and Japan, 1922-1953', held at the University of Naples Federico II in October 2023. Bringing together contributions from scholars of multiple areas of expertise, this book highlights, on the one hand, the scientific sensitivity of certain philosophers of the Kyoto School, and on the other, the role played by their analyses in the conceptual development of some Japanese physicists. This text identifies new research crucial to refining the understanding of theoretical issues at the heart of modern physics as well as to Japanese philosophy from an inter-cultural perspective. It appeals to researchers and students working at the crossroads of theoretical physics and Japanese philosophy.

This book provides a timely and essential exploration of masculinity and boyhood in the contemporary online and offline world. It critically examines the pressures faced by young men and boys, unpacking themes such as mental health, sexual behaviours and violence, while offering practical strategies for policy makers, educators, professionals, parents/carers and families. Through detailed analysis of her research, theory and professional experience, the author highlights how traditional, monolithic and rigid views of masculinity are contributing to poor outcomes for young men and boys.

This book maps the historical and cultural evolution of masculinity, scrutinising the influence of patriarchy, online subcultures, and dangerous role models. It sheds light on the rise of movements like the manosphere and Incel culture, while also tackling issues such as the impact of social media, sexting, and pornography on identity formation. The book focuses on the lack of youth voice in shaping sex and relationships education and the urgent need for reframing masculinity to foster more inclusive, supportive environments for boys and young men.

Drawing from a series of research projects that she has led, the author places the lived experiences of young men and boys at the centre of the conversation. It calls for a shift in societal perceptions and offers a framework for reframing masculinity in ways that benefits all genders.

Clear, grounded in research, and rooted in practice, this book is a crucial resource for those seeking to understand and transform how masculinity is constructed and how it can be reimagined for healthier futures.

Positioned at the intersection of regional leadership and global influence, this reference work offers a rigorous and timely analysis of Brazil's evolving geopolitical role-as the world's fifth largest nation, South America's leading power, a strategic South Atlantic actor, and a pivotal member of the expanding BRICS+ coalition. Structured into four insightful parts (1) The Making of Brazil as an International Actor, (2) Geo-Economics and Technology, (3) Classic Perspectives on Geopolitics, and (4) Contemporary Debates: Critical and Meta Geopolitics - this book brings together a rich array of topics that reflect Brazil's multifaceted global engagement. Beyond traditional themes like Brazilian politics, economy, and foreign policy, this volume delves into pressing contemporary issues: energy geopolitics, defence, regional engagement, Amazon geopolitics, polar and outer space affairs, nuclear autonomy, marine spatial planning, naval projects, food security, lithium, Artificial Intelligence, and submarine cables. The book also explores Brazil's strategic relationships with China, the United States, and the European Union, while offering fresh perspectives on its ties with African nations (e.g., Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, Nigeria, South Africa), Russia, and India. Broader global themes such as ZOPACAS, CPLP, BRICS+ cooperation, and UN Security Council reform are also critically assessed.

The Business of Outer Space assesses selected legal issues associated with commercial space activities. The book begins by explaining the historical background that has given rise to the diverse and expanding contemporary commercial space industry, including important milestones that have facilitated the growth of the industry. The book explains the various segments or categories that make up the commercial space industry including their associated goods and services. This provides the reader with the context needed to comprehend the growth and diversification of commercial space activities from space manufacturing to satellite data services.

The book continues with a series of topical case studies of relevance to various space activities. For example, the book dedicates a chapter to examining the close connection that exists between commercial and military space activities and analysing how dual-use technologies offered by commercial entities have an important role to play in military space operations. The book continues with a deep dive into the emerging connections between the artificial intelligence industry and space industry, and the risks and opportunities therein. A significant and timely case study within the book is the regulation of satellite (mega) constellations. This case study examines commercial and regulatory issues associated with the deployment of satellite constellations, paying close attention to how current international space legal frameworks might regulate such activities. Of particular relevance to many space businesses is the topic of intellectual property. The book described in detail the application of patent law in the context of space activities and discusses how international space law and certain domestic laws may provide greater certainty for space actors with regards to intellectual property and space activities. Finally, considering the complex engineering considerations faced by many space companies, the book provides the reader with a detailed analysis of how a system-of-systems risk management approach can assist with some of the challenges associated with designing and operating commercial space missions.

The work contained in this book is intended to provide the reader with series of select case studies examining topics related to commercial space activities. The book will appeal to a broad range of reader from policy makers, space lawyers, regulatory bodies, space businesses, national space agencies as well as academics, researcher, and students.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), this book collects contributions by leading scholars and practitioners to assess the legacy, current challenges, and future trajectory of one of the cornerstone treaties in arms control and disarmament. As the first multilateral treaty to ban an entire class of weapons, the BWC has played a central role in shaping international norms against the hostile use of biology. Yet, half a century later, questions about its effectiveness, enforcement and evolution remain.

This volume offers an examination of the BWC's development, from its Cold War origins to its modern-day relevance in a world marked by rapid advances in biotechnology, increasing geopolitical tensions, and emerging biological threats. The contributions reflect on the treaty's history, assess its institutional and normative strengths and shortcomings, and engage with contemporary points of contention, including dual-use research and verification.

Looking forward, the volume discusses possible pathways for strengthening the BWC, exploring new mechanisms for compliance, transparency and international cooperation. It also addresses the importance of bridging the gaps between scientific innovation, policy development and security governance.

Intended for both academic audiences and policy practitioners, 50 Years of the Biological Weapons Convention provides critical insights and forward-looking perspectives on the enduring relevance of the BWC. Whether read as a historical retrospective or a call to action for the future of biological disarmament, this collection offers an essential resource for those committed to understanding and enhancing global biosecurity in an increasingly complex world.

Barry de Vries is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, while Kristoffer Burck and Sannimari Veini are Research Assistants; all three editors work in the Chair for Public Law and International Law Department of the Justus-Liebig University Giessen in Giessen, Hessen, Germany.

Chapter 16 and chapter 17 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.spriner.com

This book addresses one of the most pressing issues of international law in recent years, attempts to acquire territory by force. When powerful States are not satisfied with territorial status quo and are unwilling to give up their interests for peace, there is an inherent difficulty in stopping their attempts to acquire territory by force. This book will review the efforts made so far to stop such attempts, examine the current state of rules of international law against them, and explore how rule of law can be strengthened. It is written by a former legal advisor who participated in the proceedings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the Advisory Opinion issued on July 19, 2024. Based on the approach often taken by practitioners working for governments, who tend to appreciate narrative based on persuasive evidence and logic and increasingly rely on views expressed by courts and tribunals, the scope of the prohibition of acquisition of territory by force and, as an alternative rule, the prohibition of use of force is examined. Acts constituting attempts to acquire territory by force and their contexts which contribute to the violation of the two prohibitions will be analysed, and cases likely to amount to their violation will be explored. It will also discuss whether States can acquire territory by use of force in self-defence and examine obligations arising from the violation of the prohibition of acquisition of territory by force for third States.

In a world increasingly governed by code, how do states preserve influence, identity, and agency?
Cognitive Diplomacy and Digital Autonomy: Statecraft in the Age of Artificial Intelligence explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the foundations of international relations. From algorithmic negotiation to AI-driven soft power, this book offers a strategic framework; rooted in the triad of presence, practice, and resilience for navigating diplomacy in the digital age. With case studies from the Global South, and beyond, it reveals how emerging powers are crafting new paths to sovereignty and global relevance.
Balancing theoretical insight with real-world application, this timely work charts the contours of a new diplomatic era, where cognitive environments matter as much as material ones, and digital autonomy is the new currency of strategic independence.
Essential reading for scholars, diplomats, and decision-makers confronting the frontiers of AI and global order.

In this Open Access book, the reader is presented with an outlook on current developments in Japanese Animal Ethics and how Ando Shoeki's depictions of non-human animals, as well as the examination of Chinese and Japanese traditions of animal description, could give a new impetus to the field. Ando Shoeki is one of the most important thinkers in Japanese intellectual history, as a philosopher who demonstrates remarkable creativity in his critical engagement with the traditional knowledge of China and Japan. This makes him an ideal starting point for a book on non-human animals in pre-modern Japan. This book not only explains the world of one of the most fascinating thinkers of pre-modern Japan in simple terms, but also introduces the reader to the Chinese and Japanese zoological traditions. It provides well-founded information on the role of each non-human animal in the Japanese (and also Chinese) human-animal relationship.

Melissa Ann Kaul is an SNSF-Postdoc.Mobility Fellow and a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh. Her research topics include Japanese Animal Ethics, Ando Shoeki, and Neoconfucianism. Her latest article has appeared in the Journal of Animal Ethics. She is currently working on a translation of Ando Shoeki's Hosei Monogatari.

This book "Human Corporation" offers new perspectives on and for a scandal-ridden institution, the corporation, for sustainable value creation and prosperity globally. It is about humanity, a strong constitution of liberty for sustainable business activities (investment). Climate change and technology (genetics, quantum physics, artificial intelligence), which challenge us all, offer human ideas and energies a wide range of opportunities for the good. The world is being reshaped: What measure does reason provide?

The book grounds the corporation - a fiction of the law and the epitome of business activities worldwide - in its ingenious financial function on capital markets through financial reporting (accounting, auditing): with a civil-procedural concept of valuation and personal responsibility of corporate directors and auditors (duty of care, compliance) on a sustainable basis (facts, real disclosure). A Copernican turn to substance for "human, economy and environment" - instead of the greedy "numbers game" - with the imperative of truth (fidelity). Good corporate governance and sustainable value creation for investors and the common good can be assured.

The book takes a holistic approach and draws on scientific, philosophical, and historical insights (comparative law, economics, languages, physics), guiding implementation and communication with investors (i.e. verified information). This leads to peace among climate partners in a global "order of assets" (Vermoegensordnung). May it inspire everybody as an entrepreneur of one's own life amid other lives - interculturally and complementarily as a climate partner for sustainable development and success, for a better world.

In this open access book, the editors bring together leading experts from around the globe to examine current trends and key developments concerning digitalization policies and mechanisms in nine federal and decentralized countries. Despite the concept of digitalization gaining momentum amid the rampant employment of technological resources to perform governmental activities in recent years, little has been said about the specific effects of digitalization in federal arrangements. Though there are challenges to advancing digitalization in federal systems, federal countries are also well-positioned to build on policy learning to leverage digital services. Contributors to this volume provide a timely and comprehensive account of the implications of and relationships between intergovernmental relations, collaborative action, the implementation of digital policies, and accountability in federal systems. These individual analyses are then contextualized comparatively to gain a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the digitalization of public administration in different regions worldwide.

This book investigates key trends in youth political participation in the UK, Europe, and the United States since the turn of the century-with a focus on the UK General Election and the US Presidential Election that were both held in 2024. It explores the reasons why many young people seem to have become disillusioned with electoral politics in the aftermath of recent youthquake elections, such as the 2017 UK General Election (with their overwhelming support for the Labour Party) and both the 2008 and 2020 US presidential elections (in support of Obama and Biden). We attribute their disenchantment to failures of public policy (that seem to increasingly favour older generations) and of communication-resulting in political parties' inabilities to effectively connect with young people on issues that they prioritise and that have meaning for their everyday lives. The book shows how this led to lower turnouts in 2024 in both the UK and the USA and highlights the very low rates of participation amongst youth from lower socio-economic groups. This is potentially dangerous for democracy; if young people continue to feel let down by parties and to abstain from voting, it is likely to lead to more reactive public policy and to increases in the attraction of populist (or extremist) parties and candidates to young people. The book emphasises the need for mainstream parties and candidates to provide a more meaningful youth offer and to mobilise young people through horizontal forms of communication. From a young person's perspective, the book also shows how (citizenship) education can play an important role in resisting populism and disinformation and in rejuvenating democracy.

The emergence of parental rights as a conservative movement spurred by the presumed right of white men to govern their homes

"Parental rights" is a rallying cry for today's American conservatives, signaling opposition to mandatory vaccination and "woke" public school curricula. In Every Man's Home a Castle, Julia Bowes traces the origins of the modern parental rights movement to the nineteenth century, when the introduction of compulsory schooling laws, child labor regulations, and vaccine requirements provoked a resistance rooted in the presumed right of white men to govern their homes. A wide-ranging coalition-including Irish Catholic immigrants in Illinois, Mormon enclaves in Utah, and Protestant clergy in Virginia-believed that the state had usurped the "natural rights" of parents and "invaded the home."

Bowes shows how, by the turn of the century, those disparate voices had coalesced into national conservative movements. Anti-vaccinationists, alternative medical practitioners, and parents who opposed compulsory school medical exams joined forces to form the National League for Medical Freedom. Deciding a case brought by conservative Catholic lawyers, the Supreme Court declared parental rights a "fundamental liberty" protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. And the Sentinels of the Republic, a conservative citizen's lobby, mobilized a campaign to defeat the proposed federal Child Labor Amendment, bringing together pro-family and free-market politics with far-reaching consequences.

Exploring the emergence of parental rights as an antistatist ideology through legal cases, legislative debates, and political movements, Bowes argues that the expansion of state power over children provoked such fierce opposition because the paternal rights of white men-considered the "rights-bearing" individuals of American democracy-were widely viewed as the mark and measure of their independence.

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.

Transgender-responsive policies might seem like a radical new idea for prisons, but California's creation of tailored housing policies for gender-nonconforming prisoners began in 1941. In Gender Bound, Joss T. Greene investigates how and why California prisons have attempted to manage gender nonconformity over the past eighty years and how incarcerated people have responded in turn. Drawing on archival research, ethnographic observation, and 136 interviews with formerly incarcerated trans people as well as advocates, policymakers, and former prison staff, Gender Bound offers new insight into the history of gender, the intersectional nature of punishment, and steadfast struggles for freedom.

In 1976, the Supreme Court affirmed incarcerated people's right to healthcare under the Eighth Amendment. Wards of the State examines the everyday instantiation of incarcerated people's right to healthcare within a men's maximum-security prison in Pennsylvania. Drawing on two years of ethnographic fieldwork, Nicholas Iacobelli observes how the prison's medical unit operates as a "ward of the state"-a space that reproduces the state's ideological commitment to punishment through its obligation to provide care. Incarcerated men are also cast as wards of the state, becoming its biological and financial property. These dynamics result in complex systems of dependence, refusal, and skepticism-and troubling ideas of what constitutes health and illness in prison. Despite this, the right to care also opens spaces for men to envision futures and make both personal and structural appeals to justice.

There is no time period or theme that promotes more engagement, by both Chinese historians and historians of China, than what the Peoples Republic of China describes as "the century of humiliation," the period of the "unequal treaties," in which first Qing and then Republican China found themselves penetrated systematically by external Great Powers ? which then integrated China, on terms largely not of its own choosing, into a now global political economic order. This created the modern "China Question": how would an emerging China fit into a new world order that it entered through the intercessions of others? But there is at least one very important dimension that remains underexplored: the perceptions, policies, views, and agendas of the "metropolitan authorities" among the external Great Powers. This book will argue that it is enlightening to examine a particular kind of individual involved: one who worked in China, either as a sojourner or for a career, and, while in China, had a direct responsibility that moved in two directions: having to answer up to some sort of higher authority or body in their "home country," while also exercising direct responsibilities in China, including daily contact with the Chinese population.

This book critically addresses one of the most complex issues in procedural law: the objective limits of res judicata. Particularly relevant in civil law countries such as Italy and Germany-and especially in Portugal-this topic has generated intense doctrinal debate. In an effort to circumvent the constraints imposed by the traditional model of the plea of res judicata and the triple identity test, Portuguese legal scholarship developed the concept of the authority of res judicata. However, the vague contours of this concept have led to doctrinal uncertainty and inconsistency.

Does res judicata extend only to the operative part of the judgment, or does it also encompass its reasoning? Is only the claim precluded, or also the cause of action? Which issues that arise during litigation are barred from future disputes? The more freedom allowed to relitigate such issues, the less legal certainty the decision provides. Conversely, the more stabilizing the decision, the narrower the scope for future litigation.

This work proposes an alternative to the perplexing approaches that have challenged jurists within the Romano-Germanic tradition-particularly in Portugal: res judicata should also extend to prejudicial questions, provided they were effectively litigated by the parties, with full procedural guarantees, and expressly decided. This proposal reflects an adaptation of the Anglo-American model of collateral estoppel, already partially adopted by Brazilian legislation, with a powerful pacifying effect.

The monograph is divided into three parts. The first examines the Anglo-American model of stabilizing judicial decisions, from the pre-Roman influence on res judicata to the Restatement (Second) of Judgments, including the requirements of nonmutual collateral estoppel, partially incorporated into Brazilian law. The second part explores the core concepts of the controversy-main and prejudicial issues, preclusion, res judicata, authority and plea of res judicata-and presents the tension between legal certainty and freedom at the heart of the fundamental right to res judicata, drawing on a profound insight by Zygmunt Bauman.

Ultimately, this book argues that its proposed framework offers a constitutionally sound interpretation of the fundamental right to res judicata, striking a careful balance between the prohibition of excessive restriction and the need to avoid insufficient legal protection. The third and final part turns to the procedural topology of res judicata-exploring where, within the complaint, defense, and judgment, the preclusive effect truly resides: whether in the claims, the causes of action, the operative part, or the reasoning. It also revisits the historic debate between Savigny and Chiovenda, suggesting that their positions may be more compatible than traditionally assumed. The analysis concludes that the subject matter of the dispute encompasses not only the principal issue but also the prejudicial questions that were effectively litigated, offering a critical perspective on the Italian legislative model, later adopted in Portugal and formerly in Brazil's Code of Civil Procedure.

This study addresses one of the most challenging problems in contemporary tort law: the attribution of liability in cases where harm results not from direct physical causation, but from psychological influence that motivates or facilitates another person's conduct. Through systematic analysis, this work demonstrates that traditional causal theories-including direct and immediate causation, adequate causation, and the equivalence of conditions (sine qua non)-prove fundamentally inadequate when applied to cases involving "psychological causation."

Similarly, the conduct and public statements of government officials can negatively affect citizens' behavior, particularly during periods of crisis. When government officials publicly disregarded mask-wearing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, this foreseeably encouraged non-compliance among the general population. Whether such individuals can be held civilly liable for the resulting harm presents a complex problem requiring careful doctrinal analysis.

Equally significant is the question of liability when a group member initiates acts of vandalism or collective violence, subsequently followed by other members of an organized crowd or political group. This raises the fundamental question of whether the person who precipitates a disturbance can be held responsible for damage suffered by third parties, even when the specific perpetrator of a particular injury remains unidentified. Consider, for example, a supporter who initiates an altercation between opposing fans or who physically or verbally assaults members of an organized group, thereby triggering widespread confusion and resulting in harm to bystanders.

Particular problems also arise when the consequent damage occurs because the second party, influenced by the conduct of the first agent, deliberately harms themselves or their interests. There are many examples of self-destructive reactions by the injured party after the initial harmful event, such as in cases of revenge porn, bullying, and environmental disasters like Brumadinho and Fukushima. Thus, the victim may, under the impact of the initial harm, prematurely stop their business activities, commit suicide, or refuse necessary treatment measures, such as a blood transfusion, for religious reasons. These scenarios challenge traditional causation theories by introducing psychological mediation between the defendant's conduct and the ultimate harm.

This book explores how generative AI and design are reshaping the law, legal communication, and contracting-moving beyond automation toward collaboration and meaningful outcomes. Combining theory and practice, it addresses challenges such as privacy, communication, financial well-being, responsible AI use, and the language of contracts.

This edited book breaks new ground in exploring how generative AI and design are acting as catalysts for change in law, legal communication, and contracting. Together, they are transforming the way we think and act-moving beyond automation toward collaboration, actionability, and achieving goals. Bringing together theoretical insights and practical experiments, the book features contributions from scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of law, business, technology, and design.

Chapters address topics such as AI-enhanced financial well-being and debt support; bridging the implementation gap in contracting; improving the usability of privacy communication and health data; and protecting artistic style in the age of AI. Threaded through these diverse contributions, common questions emerge: If the purpose of contracts is to establish and achieve common goals, why does their language so often seem arcane-like a magic spell-and how can AI help us change that? How can we responsibly integrate AI into legal, health, and commercial information to enhance usability and understanding? What does responsible AI use look like in practice, and how can design principles guide it?

This book provides legal professionals, technologists, designers, business leaders, and policymakers with the insight and tools necessary to shape the future of law and contracts creatively and critically.