Mattias Kumm asks fundamental questions about law in a global context: How should we think of the basic institutions and categories of existing law and what should they become if we take seriously the widely embraced idea that any claim to legitimate authority must be based on the rule of law, democracy and human rights? One focus of research is the analysis of legal pluralism, the conditions under which it arises, the problems that it raises practically and the conditions under which it is desirable. Other research focuses on the theory and practice of constitutionalism and human rights on the national and global levels.