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The Institute for National and International Security (INIS) is pleased to highlight the participation of Dr Jowanka Jakubek-Lalik, an INIS member, at the prestigious EGPA 2026 Conference, held at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, from 24 to 27 August 2026.
Dr Jakubek-Lalik, an academic and legal expert specializing in public administration, administrative law, judicial reform, and institutional transformation, participated in the conference on behalf of the Department of Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw.
Within the Permanent Study Group on Law and Public Administration (PSG 10), she presented her latest research paper entitled:
“Discretion, Appeals and the Instrumentalization of Administrative Law: Between Protection and Selective Control.”
Her research addresses an increasingly important question for contemporary democratic governance: whether formal administrative procedures and appeal mechanisms are, in themselves, sufficient to guarantee the effective protection of individual rights.
Drawing on Ernst Fraenkel’s Dual State paradigm and contemporary public law theory, Dr Jakubek-Lalik examined how conventional instruments of administrative law—including administrative discretion, the presumption of legality, and immediate enforcement—may under certain political and institutional conditions be used by executive authorities in ways that enable selective application of the law while maintaining an appearance of formal legality.
A particularly important dimension of the research is its comparative analysis of Central and Eastern Europe, encompassing Poland, Hungary, Romania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The study identifies mechanisms through which governments and administrative systems may create what the author defines as “Remedy Gaps” and “Procedural Containment,” potentially limiting the practical effectiveness of legal remedies available to citizens.
Supported by OECD/SIGMA data, the research also questions purely quantitative measurements of the efficiency of administrative appeals and identifies a structural “Appeal Blindspot” associated with judicial review focused primarily on formal legality.
As a possible direction for reform, Dr Jakubek-Lalik argues that administrative justice should move beyond binary and formalistic legal assessments toward a more functional approach, capable of evaluating whether administrative and judicial mechanisms genuinely protect individual rights and constrain selective exercises of executive power.
The presentation generated valuable discussion among academics and public administration experts participating in the EGPA Permanent Study Group on Law and Public Administration.
Dr Jowanka Jakubek-Lalik’s participation at EGPA 2026 represents another contribution by an INIS member to high-level international academic dialogue. Her research is particularly relevant to the broader study of institutional resilience, rule of law, democratic governance, and the capacity of public institutions to resist political instrumentalization—issues that are increasingly important for understanding contemporary national and international security environments.
INIS congratulates Dr Jowanka Jakubek-Lalik on her successful presentation in Rome and her continued contribution to international academic cooperation and research.
Share
The Institute for National and International Security (INIS) is pleased to highlight the participation of Dr Jowanka Jakubek-Lalik, an INIS member, at the prestigious EGPA 2026 Conference, held at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, from 24 to 27 August 2026.
Dr Jakubek-Lalik, an academic and legal expert specializing in public administration, administrative law, judicial reform, and institutional transformation, participated in the conference on behalf of the Department of Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw.
Within the Permanent Study Group on Law and Public Administration (PSG 10), she presented her latest research paper entitled:
“Discretion, Appeals and the Instrumentalization of Administrative Law: Between Protection and Selective Control.”
Her research addresses an increasingly important question for contemporary democratic governance: whether formal administrative procedures and appeal mechanisms are, in themselves, sufficient to guarantee the effective protection of individual rights.
Drawing on Ernst Fraenkel’s Dual State paradigm and contemporary public law theory, Dr Jakubek-Lalik examined how conventional instruments of administrative law—including administrative discretion, the presumption of legality, and immediate enforcement—may under certain political and institutional conditions be used by executive authorities in ways that enable selective application of the law while maintaining an appearance of formal legality.
A particularly important dimension of the research is its comparative analysis of Central and Eastern Europe, encompassing Poland, Hungary, Romania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The study identifies mechanisms through which governments and administrative systems may create what the author defines as “Remedy Gaps” and “Procedural Containment,” potentially limiting the practical effectiveness of legal remedies available to citizens.
Supported by OECD/SIGMA data, the research also questions purely quantitative measurements of the efficiency of administrative appeals and identifies a structural “Appeal Blindspot” associated with judicial review focused primarily on formal legality.
As a possible direction for reform, Dr Jakubek-Lalik argues that administrative justice should move beyond binary and formalistic legal assessments toward a more functional approach, capable of evaluating whether administrative and judicial mechanisms genuinely protect individual rights and constrain selective exercises of executive power.
The presentation generated valuable discussion among academics and public administration experts participating in the EGPA Permanent Study Group on Law and Public Administration.
Dr Jowanka Jakubek-Lalik’s participation at EGPA 2026 represents another contribution by an INIS member to high-level international academic dialogue. Her research is particularly relevant to the broader study of institutional resilience, rule of law, democratic governance, and the capacity of public institutions to resist political instrumentalization—issues that are increasingly important for understanding contemporary national and international security environments.
INIS congratulates Dr Jowanka Jakubek-Lalik on her successful presentation in Rome and her continued contribution to international academic cooperation and research.
