Journal Article

Law and Individualism: Balancing Rights, Responsibilities, and Group Dynamics

Pečarič, Mirko

2025

Overview

Purpose: This article critically examines the interplay between individualism and collectivism in legal systems. It argues that the law remains disproportionately focused on individual rights and duties, even though group dynamics demonstrably shape behaviour. The paper therefore calls for the formal recognition of informal groups and the integration of collective responsibility to reflect current social realities more accurately.Methodology: Employing a historical-legal and interdisciplinary lens, the study traces the evolution of individualism from Roman law to modern legal frameworks. It combines comparative legal analysis, theoretical critique, and normative analysis to propose legal reforms that reconcile individual autonomy with collective accountability.Findings: Historically, legal systems have privileged individualism and underestimated the influence of groups. As a result, informal collectives often lack protection and meaningful participation in legal processes. This over-emphasis on the individual hampers effective responses to systemic discrimination, environmental harm, and labour rights violations. Although certain branches—such as corporate and environmental law—implicitly recognise collective responsibility, explicit mechanisms to balanceindividual and group interests are still required. Flexible legal models can integrate group accountability without eroding personal rights.Practical implications: Conferring limited legal personality on informal groups would enable them to assert rights without full formalisation. A calibrated balance between individual and collective liability would enhance the law’s capacity to address problems that demand shared responsibility. Strengthening collective legal tools—such as class actions, trade unions, and community governance—would improve legal representation, while the use of AI-enabled digital platforms could foster participatorylaw-making and deliver fairer legal structures. Namen: Članek kritično obravnava preplet individualizma in kolektivizma v pravnih sistemih. Avtor trdi, da je pravo nesorazmerno osredotočeno na individualne pravice in dolžnosti, čeprav skupinska dinamika dokazano oblikuje vedenje. Zato poziva k formalnemu priznanju neformalnih skupin in vključitvi kolektivne odgovornosti, s čimer bi pravo natančneje odražalo sodobno družbeno stvarnost.Metodologija: S historično-pravnim in interdisciplinarnim pristopom študija sledi razvoju individualizma od rimskega prava do sodobnih pravnih okvirov. Združuje primerjalnopravno analizo, teoretsko kritiko in normativno analizo ter predlaga reforme, ki usklajujejo individualno avtonomijo s kolektivno odgovornostjo.Ugotovitve: Zgodovinsko gledano so pravni sistemi privilegirali individualizem in podcenjevali vpliv skupin. Posledično neformalne skupine ne uživajo ustrezne zaščite in smiselne udeležbe v pravnih postopkih. To pretirano poudarjanje posameznika ovira učinkovite odzive na sistemsko diskriminacijo, okoljsko škodo in kršitve delavskih pravic. Čeprav nekatera področja – na primer korporacijsko in okoljsko pravo – implicitno priznavajokolektivno odgovornost, so za uravnoteženje interesov posameznika in skupnosti še vedno potrebni izrecni mehanizmi. Prilagodljivi pravni modeli lahko vključijo skupinsko odgovornost, ne da bi pri tem razvrednotiliosebne pravice.Praktične posledice: Podelitev omejene pravne subjektivitete neformalnim skupinam bi jim omogočila uveljavljanje pravic brez popolne formalizacije. Uravnoteženo razmerje med individualno in kolektivno odgovornostjo bi okrepilo sposobnost prava za reševanje problemov, ki zahtevajo deljeno odgovornost. Krepitev kolektivnih pravnih orodij – kot so skupinske tožbe, sindikati in skupnostno upravljanje – bi izboljšala pravno zastopanje, uporaba digitalnih platform z umetno inteligenco pa bi lahko spodbujala participativno oblikovanje prava in pravičnejše pravne strukture.

• Publisher: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Administration, Journal Uprava/Administration,University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
• Subject: Accountability / Autonomy / Class action lawsuits / Collective responsibility / Collectives / Collectivism / Discrimination / Environmental law / Environmental policy / Governance / Group dynamics / Group identity / Human rights / Individualism / individualism, collective responsibility, group dynamics, informal groups / Informal groups / Interdisciplinary aspects / Labor unions / Law / Legal reform / Legal representation / Legal system / Liability / Middle Ages / Personality / Rights / Violations