Comparing the number of judges and court staff across European countries

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper raises some methodological issues when a comparative approach is used to compare the number of judges and court personnel in European judiciaries. Data come from the Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe, which also is the main source for the European Union Justice Scoreboard. Some proposals are made to improve the collection of data and, then, increasing their comparability. The paper shows how an assessment on the number of judges and court personnel can benefit from a cross country comparative perspective, but only if quantitative analysis come together with in-depth qualitative studies.