The Max Planck Foundation is engaged in research projects dealing with the relations of law, development and peace-building. These concepts are explored widely and understood in their broader sense through extensive research projects at the Foundation.

The researchers at the Foundation have varied areas of interest, including the role of international and constitutional law in progression of peace in post-war societies, strained relationships between States, religious and traditional forms of law, the legal framework for economic links between developed and developing regions, and the influence of foreign actors on legal transition in developing nations.

The projects at the Foundation allow researchers to observe legal development first-hand and take advantage of their immediate proximity to the changes in the legal atmosphere in the region of their interest. Some researchers take this opportunity to work on publications, in particular, essays, articles and dissertations while contributing to the projects of the Foundation.

Additionally, the Foundation is engaged in seeking funding for purely academic projects and collaborates with other research institutions in both Germany and abroad in this regard.