professorspolitik och samhällsförändring referred to administrative law in his lectures, which were compiled into a textbook in 1937. Herlitz observed that the focus of modern administrative law had increasingly shifted from the ‘special’ to the ‘general’ part of the subject. Students should therefore not immerse themselves in individual statutes but instead following the example of private law ‘combine special phenomena within administrative law from legal perspectives’. Similar cases should be used for the purpose of analogy and thereby provide the capacity to draw more general conclusions than those derived from the special rules. Herlitz devoted great scope in both his lectures and writings to procedure and the validity or invalidity of administrative decisions. An innovation that Herlitz introduced at that time applied to the terminology designated ‘exercise of official authority’ (‘myndighetsutövning’), which related to documents that entailed mandatory legal effects for individuals. In time this term would become central – and controversial – in Swedish administrative law jurisdiction and legislation. At the same time as this indirect import from French and German law, Herlitz expressed strong confidence in what he perceived to be the Swedish legal heritage. Here there was a close link between politics and science, something that Herlitz himself pointed out in his memoirs. In parallel with his academic life, Herlitz was active as a ‘right-wing politician’ at Stockholm County Council and as a member of the First Chamber of the Riksdag, regularly presenting motions, a member of the Committee on the Constitution and he was also entrusted with many public inquiries. Herlitz emphasised several features of the Swedish legal tradition. Public administration was close to the administration of justice, the public authorities were autonomous, there was no ministerial government rule, decisions were made on a collegiate basis, administrative posts were recruited from among people with judicial training, the procedure was carefully regulated, the procedural rules contained in the Code of Judicial Procedure were applied, and the principles of objectivity, and of proper and full investigation, communication, service and the hearing the par280
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