SOFIA RANCHORDAS
Full Professor of Administrative Law
I’m a regulation scholar exploring how technological change reshapes the relationship between citizens, companies, and governments. My expertise areas are: (i) regulatory policy; (ii) regulation of digital technology; (iii) regulatory sandboxes and experimental legislation and regulation; (iv) inclusive digital transformation of the public sector. I have advised national and international regulators on the regulation of digital technology and regularly provide training to public officials.
I’m a Full Professor of Administrative Law at Tilburg Law School and a Professor of Public Law at Luiss Guido Carli in Rome. I lead two prestigious research projects (NWO-Vidi, WASP-HS, 2023-2028) on vulnerability in the automated state. In 2024, I co-authored with Karen Yeung the second and fully revised edition of Introduction to Law and Regulation (Cambridge University Press, 2024). In 2025, I published a new book on the role of the state in perpetuating structural inequalities in the context of Southern Italy (Diritto amministrativo e disuguaglianze strutturali, Giappichelli, 2025)
Collaborations
Mission & Purpose
My mission is to conduct research on administrative law, regulation, and digital technology that has social relevance and helps us understand the complex relationship between citizens and the public sector.
As a Scholar
As a scholar, my mission is to conduct interdisciplinary research to understand the interactions between citizens, tech companies, and government in the age of AI. I aim to explore avenues to ensure that more citizens feel included in the digital transformation and share its benefits.
As a Speaker
As a speaker, I aim to share my research findings accessibly, engage with different audiences, and train professionals. I have delivered a TEDx talk (2015), multiple keynotes, and invited talks in Europe, the United States, and Japan.
As an Educator
My mission as an educator is to help empower young scholars through teaching and mentoring, stimulating critical thinking. I currently teach at Tilburg Law School and Luiss Guido Carli both graduate and undergraduate students. I mentor a small group of young and curious scholars who–like me–are first-generation academics and I supervise a number of PhD students.
As a Consultant
As a consultant, I draw on my research and scientific experience to adapt state-of-the-art knowledge to specific and complex problems.
Expertise
I am expert in the digital transformation in the public sector and I have published extensively on smart cities, digital government, and the automation of social welfare systems. I have also conducted significant research on innovation policy, experimental regulations and regulatory sandboxes. I have received several awards and grants for my work, including a Niels Stensen Fellowship and fellowships from the Knight Foundation, WASP-HS (Sweden), NWO (Vidi), KNAW. My research has often been cited by international courts as well as by both national and international media, including the Wall Street Journal, Le Temps, El Pais, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, NRC, RTL News, and Diario de Noticias. I have consulted for several governmental bodies (e.g., European Commission, Dutch Ministries of Interior and Infrastructure, RLI).
Administrative law
Administrative decision-making, administrative discretion,principles of good administration, comparative administrative law
Digital Transformation in the Public Sector
Digital government, automation of public law enforcement, digital inclusion.
AI Regulation
Regulation of AI (general principles), regulatory sandboxes, AI and bias, AI and emotions
Regulation expert
Regulatory policy (CBA, RIA, consultations), regulatory instruments, theories of regulation, risk regulation, regulatory legitimacy, regulatory accountability
Empathy and AI
Empathy, emotional AI, behavioral empathy and government
Smart Cities
Local law and smart cities, democratic participation. local decision-making, open data
Latest Publications
Introduction to Law and Regulation
Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed. (with Karen Yeung)
2024
Inaugural Address/Oratie: Administrative Blindness: All the Citizens the State Cannot See
Tilburg University (26 April 2024)
Gender and the Automation of Public Law: The Start of a New Conversation
(May 28, 2024) in C. Burchard and I. Spiecker (Eds), Algorithmic Transformations of Power: Between Trust, Conflict, and Uncertainty (Nomos/Hart, 2024) (forthcoming)
Regulatory Sandboxes and Innovation-friendly Regulation: Between Collaboration and Capture
Italian Journal of Public Law, 2024/vol. 1 (with Valeria Vinci)
The Invisible Citizen in the Digital State: Administrative Law Meets Digital Constitutionalism
in De Poorter, J; Oirsouw, C.; van der Schyff, G. (eds). European Yearbook of Constitutional Law (Springer, 2024)
Vulnerability
In Kaufmann, Mareile and Lomell, Heidi Mork (eds) Handbook of Digital Criminology.
De Gruyter, Forthcoming (October 9, 2023). Kaufmann, Mareile and Lomell, Heidi Mork (eds) Handbook of Digital Criminology. De Gruyter, Forthcoming. (with Malou Beck)
