Published by Maastricht University Press as an open-access textbook
This book is freely available to download or read online, with an affordable print-on-demand edition for readers who prefer a physical copy.
Book details
Version
1.0.0
Publication date (online)
08-04-2026
Copyright and license
© 2026 The Authors – The content of this work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 International License.
Book Description
Building on the foundations of graph theory, this open textbook shows how relationships between cases, statutes, or states can reveal underlying structures in law that traditional methods often overlook. Whether analysing citation networks, treaties among nations, or the diffusion of legal norms, readers learn to translate legal questions into visual and quantitative insights.
Developed by the Law and Tech Lab at Maastricht University, this resource combines conceptual clarity with applied learning. Each chapter blends concise explanations with interactive Jupyter notebooks, allowing readers to reproduce, modify, and experiment with examples in real time. Appendices include step-by-step guidance for data preparation, visualisation, and software setup, making the book equally accessible for newcomers and advanced students.
Designed to support the Network Analysis course at Maastricht University, this textbook is also a valuable standalone introduction for anyone exploring the data-driven dimensions of law and policy.
Key Features
- Introduces legal network analysis as a dedicated methodology tailored to the legal field, where relationships between legal entities are central to understanding the subject matter.
- Explains how network analysis can complement doctrinal legal research by adding a quantitative lens to qualitative legal reasoning.
- Highlights the added analytical value of network metrics, such as centrality and community detection, in identifying patterns in legal relationships.
- Presents legal network analysis as a bridge between traditional legal scholarship and computational methods, helping students understand why the method matters for legal research.
- Offers a modern and accessible introduction to a field in which suitable teaching materials remain scarce.
- Open textbook funded by OpenUp from Npuls, freely available via Maastricht University Press.
Target audiences and educational use
This open textbook is designed for law students at both bachelor’s and master’s levels, especially those enrolled in courses on legal analytics, legal data analysis, and related research methods.
It is intended to help students understand and apply network analysis in a legal context, whether they are working with case law, legislation, parliamentary materials, legal actors, or the diffusion of legal norms.
The book supports learning by doing: students can read, adapt the code, use the included datasets, and connect quantitative network methods with qualitative doctrinal analysis. It is also suitable for instructors seeking accessible, reusable teaching material that can be integrated into classroom teaching, assignments, and research-led education across legal education settings.
Publication details and metadata
| Title | Legal Network Analysis |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | |
| Author 1 | Gustavo Arosemena |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6291-6776 |
| Author 2 | Gijs van Dijck |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4102-4415 |
| Author 3 | Roland Moerland |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6343-6221 |
| Affiliation (1,2,3) | Maastricht University |
| ROR | 02jz4aj89 |
| Cover | – |
| Pages | – |
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| DOI | 10.26481/mup.2606 – https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2606 |
| Landing page | https://umlib.nl/mup.2606 |
| Online version | https://umlib.nl/mup.2606.git |
| License | CC BY – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Copyright | The Authors |
| Publisher | Maastricht University Press |
| Publication place | Maastricht |
| Published online | 08-04-2026 |
| ISBN Hardcover | – |
| ISBN Softcover | – |
| Language | English |
| Subject (BISAC code) |
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| Keywords |
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| Funding |
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How to cite
Please use the following citation, depending on your citation style:
APA
Arosemena, G., van Dijck, G., & Moerland, R. (2026). Legal network analysis (Version 1.0.0). Maastricht University Press. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2606
Harvard
Arosemena, G., van Dijck, G. and Moerland, R. (2026) Legal network analysis (Version 1.0.0). Maastricht University Press. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2606.
MLA
Arosemena, Gustavo, et al. Legal Network Analysis. Version 1.0.0, Maastricht University Press, 2026, https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2606.
Vancouver
Arosemena G, van Dijck G, Moerland R. Legal network analysis. Version 1.0.0. Maastricht: Maastricht University Press; 2026. DOI: 10.26481/mup.2606.
Chicago
Arosemena, Gustavo, Gijs van Dijck, and Roland Moerland. Legal Network Analysis. Version 1.0.0. Maastricht: Maastricht University Press, 2026. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2606.
IEEE
G. Arosemena, G. van Dijck and R. Moerland, Legal Network Analysis, Version 1.0.0. Maastricht, The Netherlands: Maastricht University Press, 2026. DOI: 10.26481/mup.2606.
Contact
Contact the authors
The authors would welcome hearing from readers about their ideas, feedback, or experiences with this book. Please feel free to contact them at legal.network.analysis@maastrichtuniversitypress.nl.
Contact Maastricht University Press
For all inquiries and comments about the book publication, please contact us via mup@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Press and Media
For press inquiries and media requests, please contact mup@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Author photos and additional information are available on request.
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