In their award citation, the jury lauds Professor Emeritus Håkan Hydén for promoting the establishment of sociology of law as an autonomous social science and developing it into what he has defined as a science of norms. His recent monograph, Sociology of Law as the Science of Norms, offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how law interacts with economic pressures, digitalisation, and emerging technologies. His analysis of “algo-norms” and the regulatory power of code has been particularly influential in shaping contemporary debates on algorithmic governance.
Hydén’s academic career includes several major distinctions, such as the Samuel Pufendorf Professorship and membership in the World Academy of Art and Science. He has also played a central role in training new generations of scholars at Lund University and through international collaborations, including the Renato Treves PhD Programme in Milan. He is currently co-editing the forthcoming Encyclopaedia of Sociology of Law, an expansive project involving hundreds of contributors.
The Podgórecki Prize also honours service to the scholarly community, and Hydén’s leadership roles. Among these are his tenure as Vice-President of the Research Committee on Sociology of Law and as a board member of the International Institute for the Sociology of Law.
The award affirms Hydén’s lasting influence on both the theoretical development of sociology of law and the international community that sustains it. He is awarded alongside Professor Ulrike Schultz.