Background The UK Administrative Justice Institute (UKAJI) was established in 2014 and funded by the Nuffield Foundation for three years (2014-17) to kickstart the expansion of empirical research on administrative justice in the UK. During that phase we built a community of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners involved in research on this important area of the justice system. UKAJI’s priorities during 2014-17 were to:

• link policy, practice and research communities
• develop a coordinated research agenda
• identify and tackle capacity constraints.

Our primary task was to consult on and produce a research agenda.

UKAJI Phase 2 Since January 2018 we have been funded by the University of Essex School of Law to progress the priorities set out in that research agenda and to work to establish UKAJI’s longer-term role.

UKAJI focuses on issues relating to:

• the operation of different administrative justice mechanisms
• encouraging good early decision-making
• efficiency and effectiveness of administrative justice systems
• access to justice
• enforcement and outcomes.

UKAJI has developed a range of research resources for the administrative justice community. For example, you can:

• Stay up-to-date by following the UKAJI blog to receive monthly current awareness round-ups, available here
• Learn about empirical research into administrative justice currently being undertaken (or raise awareness of your own project) by using the Current Research Register.
• Read summaries of relevant empirical research at the Summaries section of the Resources page.
• See what research projects are going on by checking the Project websites under Useful Links.

UKAJI is a national organisation. Based at the University of Essex, UKAJI has a small part-time team of Principal Investigator (Professor Maurice Sunkin QC (Hon)) and Commissioning Editor (Lee Marsons), with contributions from individuals from several different universities, government departments and practitioner organisations. UKAJI is interested in the development of administrative justice in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and UK-wide as well as in international developments and comparative research.

UKAJI is multidisciplinary. Academics working with UKAJI are researchers in the academic disciplines of law, economics, business, public administration, psychology, social policy and others.

UKAJI reaches across and within professions. As well as academics, people involved in UKAJI include: judges, ombuds, civil servants and members of the legal profession. We work with experienced academics running large projects, early career researchers and PhD candidates.

UKAJI operates online and face-to-face. Our online presence includes this website and blog, twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. We work with colleagues within the administrative justice community to organise and support workshops, seminars and other events throughout the United Kingdom.