Philipp Renninger

Philipp Renninger is a Global Professor of Practice in Law at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. His expertise spans constitutional and administrative law, federalism, jurisprudence, and comparative legal studies with a focus on China, Europe, and the EU. He holds a dual PhD from the Universities of Freiburg and Lucerne, with advanced training in Chinese law and language. Renninger has held visiting positions at Oxford, King’s College London, NUS Singapore, and Chinese institutions like the China University of Political Science and Law.

Research interests include federalism dynamics, individual rights, and environmental law, complemented by foundational legal theory through philosophical, historical, and methodological lenses. His work bridges East-West legal systems, publishing in English, German, Chinese, and Spanish. Notably, he explores Sino-Marxist legal thought and crisis management strategies during the pandemic. Affiliations include the Max Planck ‘Chinese Legal Tradition’ Working Group and Nanjing University’s Sino-German Law Institute as an Honorary Research Fellow.

Recent articles analyze China’s central-local governance during the pandemic, EU-China legal cooperation, and theoretical frameworks for cross-cultural legal comparison. His scholarship emphasizes ‘theory-based comparative law’ as a methodological innovation. Renninger’s teaching spans international and comparative law, with adjunct roles at leading institutions worldwide.