The challenge of comparing EU Member States judicial data
Keywords:
EU Justice Scoreboard, CEPEJ data, comparability of datasets, courts’ caseload, categories of cases, Indicadores de justicia de la UE, datos de la CEPEJ, comparabilidad de datos, carga de trabajo judicial, categorías de casosAbstract
The number of cases is measured through a broad range of quantitative variables used in various studies and policy papers as key indicators of the volume of activity of national courts. Additionally, these variables, together with other data (e.g. time needed to resolve a case, number of judges, etc.) are part of a broader discourse on the efficiency of justice systems. However, such discourse can be problematic when data is not actually comparable. To raise the attention on this very relevant but poorly explored topic, this paper analyses the comparability of the caseload data by focusing on apparently simple categories like civil and commercial litigious or non-litigious cases and administrative cases. The EU Justice Scoreboard and CEPEJ data and national case definitions in France, Italy, and Romania are used to assess the most relevant justice EU datasets. The findings point towards significant differences between analysed systems that suggest extreme caution should be exercised when using such data for scholarly, legislative or policy discourses.El número de casos se mide mediante una amplia gama de variables cuantitativas que se utilizan en varios estudios y documentos de política como indicadores claves del volumen de actividad en tribunales nacionales. Además, esas variables, junto con otros datos (por ej., tiempo que se ha necesitado para resolver un caso, número de jueces, etc.), son parte de un discurso más amplio sobre la eficacia de los sistemas judiciales. Sin embargo, ese discurso puede ser problemático cuando los datos no son comparables. Para llamar la atención sobre este tema, tan importante como poco explorado, este artículo analiza la comparabilidad de los datos sobre la carga de trabajo. Para ello, se centra en categorías aparentemente sencillas, como casos litigiosos o no litigiosos civiles y comerciales, y casos administrativos. Se utilizan los datos del indicador de la justicia de la UE y de la CEPEJ y definiciones de casos nacionales de Francia, Italia y Rumanía para evaluar los conjuntos de datos más importantes de la UE. Los hallazgos apuntan a diferencias significativas entre los sistemas analizados, las cuales hacen pensar que se deben utilizar esos datos con la máxima cautela ya sea en discursos académicos, legislativos o políticos.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1151
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