- E-mailMelanie.Hack@uib.no
- Phone+47 55 58 96 79
- Visitor AddressMagnus Lagabøtes plass 15010 Bergen
- Postal AddressPostboks 78065020 Bergen
My research is located at the intersection of labour and social security law with a view of the Europeanisation and internationalization of both areas of law. A strong methodological feature of my research is therefore focusing on legal comparative analysis. The overarching guiding research question for all projects I have been part of has been to identify what answers the current law can give us to tackle societal changes like demographic change, digitalization, and migration and how the law may be reformed to address these challenges. A further key dominator of my research has been the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour market by strengthening the non-discrimination law regime to achieve substantive equality in working life.
Since August 2023 I am leading a research project on work-life balance: LaW-BALANCE | University of Bergen (uib.no) Life and Work in Balance: Legal responses to working life in times of change and crisis
Taking a closer look on how EU law has an impact on national law has been an integral part from the beginning of my research career and since May 2023 I can explore this relation with regard to Norwegian law and the EU & EEA dimension even further as part of the Managment team of Centre on the Europeanization of Norwegian Law (CENTENOL), where I will lead a work package with a special focus on labour law.
Knowledge exchange with international researchers as well as relevant stakeholders has always been important to me. I have been a visiting scholar at leading research institutions in the USA (George Washington University, Washington DC.), UK (UCL, London) and Germany (Max-Planck-Institute for Social Law and Social Policy (MPISOC), Munich) and held several talks at international conferences. During my professional career, I also gained in-depth experience in project- and science management: As a senior researcher at MPISOC I have inter alia been an elected member of the Scientific Council of the Max Planck Society and finally during my position as private secretary of Vice-President of the TU Berlin and by later leading the division of Diversity, Inclusion and Internationalization within Strategic Controlling at TU Berlin.
see for further information my Orcid-Profile: Melanie Regine Hack (0000-0002-4470-7206) (orcid.org
teaching in Norwegian:
Arbeidsrett fordypning, JUS251-2-B, since autumn 2021
Trygderett; trygdemedisin for primærkontakter, MANT306A, UiB Vår 2022
Storgruppeleder, Norske og internasjonale rettslege institusjonar (NIRI), Jus 121, vår 2022
teaching in English:
from autumn 2022 together with Ingrid Halvorsen Barlund course supervisor, EU and EEA Commercial Law, JUS 287-2-A
- (2023). Working-life out-of-balance? Legal responses in the EU and Norway to parenthood and caregiving in times of crisis. Diritti Lavori Mercati. 107-128.
- (2018). Diskriminierung aufgrund der Religion und Weltanschauung im Arbeitsverhältnis – Ein Blick nach Norwegen. Neue Zeitschrift für Arbeitsrecht. 63-68.
- (2017). Mandatory retirement age(s) in Germany. European Equality Law Review. 1-14.
- (2016). Wahlarbeitszeit und Arbeitszeitflexibilisierung: Modelle einer selbstbestimmten Erwerbsbiografie in Deutschland und Norwegen. Zeitschrift für europäisches Arbeits- und Sozialrecht. 11 pages.
- (2015). Der Schutz von Asylbewerbern und Flüchtlingen in Schweden. Zeitschrift für Ausländische und Internationales Arbeits- und Sozialrecht. 157-179.
- (2012). To be or not be be? – The Norwegian dilemma of being just politically bound to Framework Directive 2000/78/EC. Europäische Zeitschrift für Arbeitsrecht. 357-367.
- (2011). Gamle professorer, bedriftsfastsatte aldersgrenser og eldrebølgen - Om EU-domstolens dom 18. november 2010, forenede saker C-250/09 og C-268/09 Vasil Ivanov Georgiev mot Technical University of Sofia, filial Plovdic; og Borgarting lagmannsretts dom og kjennelse 13. desember 2010 i Gjensidige-Saken (LB-2010-99479-LB2010-99486). Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 5-6.
- (2011). Etter lek med ild og vann, nå lek med luften – Aldersdiskriminering, aldersgrense, tvungen pensjonering av piloter ‒ EU-Domstolens dom (storkammer) 13. september 2011, sak C-447/09 Reinhard Prigge, Michael Fromm, Volker Lambach mot Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 1-2.
- (2010). Impact or potential of anti-discrimination legislation in light of the demographic change – Comparisons between Norway and Germany. Europäische Zeitschrift für Arbeitsrecht. 347-359.
- (2024). Samspill mellom EU-/EØS-rett og norsk arbeidsrett – utvalgte eksempler,Juristforbundet i Sjøfartsdirektoratet, Fagdag EØS-rett, 11. Januar 2024 Haugesund .
- (2023). Project presentation. LaW-BALANCE, Life and Work in Balance: Legal responses to working life in times of change and crisis; RDV WEBINAR SERIES Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism (DIPA) & CMI-UiB Centre on Law & Social Transformation (LawTransform) .
- (2023). Presentation of article at ISLSSL XIV European Regional Congress: "No Need for a Lighthouse when you have Northern Lights? A critical assessment of the Norwegian LEGAL framework on paid annual leave and its conformity with EU & EEA law".
- (2023). Law-BALANCE. Life and Work in Balance Legal responses to working life in times of change and crisis .
- (2022). "European Pillar of Social Rights as a catalyst for work-life balance in the EU and beyond", Fellesseminar i europarett for UiO og UiB .
- (2017). "Much ado about nothing?" How digitalization of working life impacts social security systems – an example from Norway and Germany.
- (2016). «(Absolutte) aldersgrenser og alternativer til det», Presentation Norwegian Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs.
- (2016). Demografischer Wandel und Arbeitsrecht - Altersgrenzen auf dem Prüfstand.
- (2016). "Taking age equality seriously – Presentation of PhD-Thesis», Norwegian Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs.
- (2015). «Aldring og aldersgrenser», Foredrag for external stakeholders om resulater og funn i doktoravhandlingen.
- (2020). Monday on the Couch: Arbeit und Lernen 4.0 - Chancen für eine neue Lernkultur.
- (2016). Skandinavien als Forschungsgegenstand – Einblicke in die Arbeit des Skandinavienreferates am Max-Planck-Institut für Sozialrecht und Sozialpolitik, Meeting of the German-Norwegian Network, Presentation at Headquarter of Max Planck Society.
- (2015). «Nord eller sør – ja takk, begge deler; wie gewinnt man junge Talente in Deutschland bzw. Norwegen zum Wohl von Firmen im bilateralen Wirtschaftsverkehr?», Tagung des deutsch- norwegischen Wirtschaftsrates/Tysk-norsk næringsrådet.
- (2023). Arbeid og sosial trygghet i fremtidens velferdsstat – når liv og arbeid møter demografiske endringer, globalisering og digitalisering, Forvaltningsretten inn i fremtiden – markering av Jan F. Bernt 80 år.
- (2022). Working-life Out-of-Balance? Legal Responses in the EU and Norway to Parenthood and Caregiving in Times of Crisis, SESSION 3A Gender and Caregiving Challenges: Policy Responses, 19° International Conference in Commemoration of Prof. Marco Biagi, Work beyond the pandemic. Towards a human-centred Recovery, Modena, Italy, 26-27.05.2022 .
- (2022). Keynote: Moving towards a social Europe: EU’s work-life balance directive and its implementation in Norway, social welfare conference/Hyvinvointioikeuden päivät 2022, University of Vaasa, Finland .
- (2018). Diskriminierung aufgrund der Religion und Weltanschauung im Arbeitsverhältnis – Ein Blick nach Norwegen.
- (2017). "Much ado about nothing?" How digitalization impacts social security systems in Norway and Sweden».
- (2016). «Der Umgang mit dem demographischen Wandel in Norwegen», Vierzehntes Göttinger Forum zum Arbeitsrecht.
- (2016). «(Re-)Integration in den Arbeitsmarkt», Max-Planck-Institute For Social Law and Social Policy.
- (2016). Free Market Economy and Human Rights: Enemies or Allies? - An "Assessment of Labour Activation Policies in Norway and the Netherlands", Remarklab Final Conference, New Foundations of Labour Law in the Globalised Market Economy.
- (2016). "Taking Age Equality Seriously – The Example of Mandatory Retirement", Presentation on the occasion of symposium for Prof. Dr. med. H. M. Hasselhorn.
- (2015). «Mandatory Retirement – Recent Legal Developments in Norway», Max-Planck-Institute for social law and policy, Joint seminar.
- (2011). To be or not to be? - The Norwegian dilemma of being just politically bound to Framework Directive 2000/78/EC?
- (2011). The Application of the Proportionality Principle in EU law and Norwegian law; The Case of Mandatory Retirement - Examples from case law of the ECJ: Case C-447/09 (Prigge and Others) and Case C-341/08 (Petersen).
- (2010). Tariffregulering i lovens skygge. Aldersgrenser i tariffavtaler.
- (2009). Impact or Potential of Anti-discrimination Legislation Comparison between Norway and Germany, Workshop at IAAEG Trier November 12th and 13th, 2009, Title of the Workshop: Extending the Working Life: Empirical Analyses of Legal Regulations and their Enforcement.
- (2016). Taking Age Equality Seriously: The Example of Mandatory Retirement. A Comparative Legal Analysis between Norway and Germany in Light of Council Directive 2000/78/EC.
- (2016). Aldersdiskriminering, aldersgrense for bussjåfører - svensk AD 2015 nr 51. Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 8-9.
- (2022). Norsk ferielov bryter klart med EU- og EØS-lover.KRONIKK: Ferieloven er en fundamental sosial rettighet som gjelder i Norge for noen, men ikke for alle. Dette bryter klart med EU- og EØS-retten. Kanskje man burde ha lært noe av NAV-skandalen? . Forskersonen.no.
- (2023). No Need for a Lighthouse When You Have Northern Lights? A Critical Assessment of the Norwegian Legal Framework on Paid Annual Leave and Its Conformity with EU and EEA Law. 17 pages.
- (2018). Social Benefits and Employment Protection in Case of Long-Term Sickness in Norway. 19 pages.
- (2016). Flexibilisierung des Erwerbslebens - Segen oder Fluch? Beispiel aktueller Gesetzesentwicklungen in Norwegen. 10 pages.
- (2012). Should I stay or should I go? Altersgrenzenregelungen für Professoren in Norwegen. 22 pages.
- (2010). Etter lek med ild, nå lek med vann: Aldersgrense, pensjonsalder, sjømenn - Høyesterettsdom 18. februar 2010 (HR-2010-00303-A). Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 2-3.
- (2010). Arbeidsrett. Lek med ilden - djevelen stikker i detaljene: Aldersdiskriminering, maksimalalder for ansettelse i brannvesen - EU-domstolens dom 12. januar 2010, sak C-229/08 Colin Wolf mot Stadt Frankfurt am Main. Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 7-8.
- (2010). Aldersdiskriminering - grønt lys for tvungen pensjonering? Automatisk opphør av arbeidsforhold ved nådd aldersgrense er ikke nødvendigvis utillatelig - EU-domstolens dom 12. oktober 2010 i sak C-45/09 Gisela Rosenbladt v Oellerking Gebäudereinigungsges. mbH. Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 2-4.
- (2019). Der Krieg der Richter Die deutsche Besatzung 1940-1945 und der norwegische Rechtsstaat.
- (2022). Samspill mellom EU-retten og nasjonal rett i arbeidsretten: Om plikt til å registrere arbeidstid i Tyskland - Bundesarbeistgericht (BAG, Beschl. v. 13.09.2022- 1 ABR 22/21). Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 10-11.
- (2022). Får du erstatning hvis du faller ned trappa på hjemmekontoret? KRONIKK: Hybride arbeidsformer er den nye normalen, men viktige spørsmål om rettigheter på hjemmekontoret er uavklarte. Forskersonen.no.
- (2022). Forutsetninger for foreldelse av retten til betalt ferie - C-120/21. Nytt i privatretten : nyhetsbrev for informasjon på det privatret. 11-12.
More information in national current research information system (CRIStin)
newest publications:
MELANIE HACK, Working-life out-of-balance? Legal responses in the EU and Norway to parenthood and caregiving in times of crisis, publisert i diritto lavori mercati, DLM.int n.1 – 2023, nedlastbar under: https://www.ddllmm.eu/dlm-int-n-1-2023/
MELANIE HACK, No Need for a Lighthouse When You Have Northern Lights? A Critical Assessment of the Norwegian Legal Framework on Paid Annual Leave and Its Conformity with EU and EEA Law. In: Jorens, Y. (eds) The Lighthouse Function of Social Law. LFSL 2023. Springer, Cham, s. 449-465, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32822-0_22
Currently, I am involved in 3 projects financed by the Norwegian Research Council (NFR):
1. I am part of the Management team of the newly established Centre on the Europeanization of Norwegian Law CENTENOL | University of Bergen (uib.no), which is led by Professor Christian Franklin. Within the Center, I lead a work package on labour law, where the focus is on analyzing the recent revival of the EU's social acquis and its role for EU/EEA labour law in a cross-border dimension. CENTENOL is financed by NFR with 21 million NOK.
Centenol is a national and international cooperative venture, based around a research hub located at the University of Bergen’s Faculty of Law. The Center is led by Professor Christian Franklin. More information is to be found at CENTENOL | University of Bergen (uib.no)
2. Since August 2023, I have led the project LaW-BALANCE Life and work in balance: Legal responses to a changing working life and in times of crisis. LaW-BALANCE is a four-year research project on the legal framework for a working life in transition, with a focus on the concept of 'work-life-balance'. The project team includes Associate Professor Tine Eidsvaag from the Faculty of Law at UiB and Professor Lisa Waddington from Maastricht University. The project is supported by the Research Council of Norway with NOK 9.9 million.
3. From October 2023 I will participate in a work package in the project Revising Work Time Flexibility Policies to Promote Work Inclusion (REFLEX). The project, which is coordinated by OlsoMet, has been awarded NOK 12 million by the Norwegian Research Council through the Welfare, Culture and Society program and is led by Tanja Haraldsdottir Nordberg - OsloMet.
