From Legislation to Legitimation


Book Description

This book is unique as the only book on the Portuguese parliament in English. The Portuguese parliament is a valuable case study to understand the different stages of development of a newly democratic parliament. From Legislation to Legitimation shows that, as democracy developed, the role of the Portuguese parliament changed considerably. Whereas in the first years of democracy the Assembleia da Republica was centred on its legislative role, during the second decade its legitimation role expanded, making scrutiny parliament's main function.




Top Down Policymaking


Book Description

In his eye-opening work, Dye explodes the myth that public policy represents the “demands of the people” and that the making of public policy flows upward from the masses. In reality, Dye argues, public policy in America, as in all nations, reflects the values, interests, and preferences of a governing elite. Top Down Policymaking is a close examination of the process by which the nation’s elite goes about the task of making public policy. Focusing on the behind-the-scenes activities of money foundations, policy planning organizations, think tanks, political campaign contributors, special-interest groups, lobbyists, law firms, influence-peddlers, and the national news media, Dye concludes that public policy is made from the top down.




Social Choice and Legitimacy


Book Description

Governing requires choices, and hence trade-offs between conflicting goals or criteria. This book asserts that legitimate governance requires explanations for such trade-offs and then demonstrates that such explanations can always be found, though not for every possible choice. In so doing, John W. Patty and Elizabeth Maggie Penn use the tools of social choice theory to provide a new and discriminating theory of legitimacy. In contrast with both earlier critics and defenders of social choice theory, Patty and Penn argue that the classic impossibility theorems of Arrow, Gibbard, and Satterthwaite are inescapably relevant to, and indeed justify, democratic institutions. Specifically, these institutions exist to do more than simply make policy - through their procedures and proceedings, these institutions make sense of the trade-offs required when controversial policy decisions must be made.




The Ethical Legitimization of Criminal Law


Book Description

When creating the norms of criminal law, the legislator should strive for their compatibility with the principle of human dignity while taking into account the ethical legitimacy of criminal law. This thesis is the axis around which The Ethical Legitimization of Criminal Law is constructed. Szczucki shows that criminal law is like a suit; to be a perfect fit, it has to be tailor-made. That is why he argues for three points of reference to guide moral evaluation of criminal law: first, the coherence of the legal system; second, the will of the legislator; and third, the virtues of citizens. Only by analyzing these concepts together in the context of legal culture can one answer the question of what makes good criminal law. The book concludes that an ethical perspective in analyzing, grounding, and evaluating criminal law is inevitable. Appealing to researchers, scholars, and professionals from across the criminal and legal spectrum, this book explores fundamental questions about the nature of ethical perspective in legal analysis.




Tocqueville's Nightmare


Book Description

Between 1900 and 1940, Americans confronted a puzzle: how could administrative agencies address the nation's troubles without violating individual liberty? From the close reasoning of judges, the self-interest of lawyers, and the machinations of politicians, an answer emerged. 'Judicialize' agencies' procedures, and a 'rule of lawyers' would keep America free.




Law and Legitimacy


Book Description

In many ways, the crucial point about law is the question of whether the law is legitimate, as this ensures that the citizens of a society (voluntarily) obey the law. This book is an anthology arising from an interdisciplinary investigation into the relationship between law and legitimacy. The collection offers a variety of new perspectives and discusses a range of issues, including the legitimacy of the international criminal court, the EU's regulation of smoking and tobacco, and the protection of consumers. The book's contributors draw not only on legal sources in their investigations, but also on philosophy, history, and sociology for a truly interdisciplinary approach. Contents include: Introduction to Law and Legitimacy * From Jean Bodin to Michael Boss: On Legitimacy and Legitimacy Crises in a Historical Perspective * In the Name of the Law: How Consistency Can Enhance Legal Legitimacy * The International Criminal Court and the Legitimacy of Exercise * Towards Legitimacy in Above-National Rule-Making: Procentralization in Multi-Stakeholder Public Regulation * Consumer Protection and the Internal Market * In Search of Legitimacy in Regulating Tobacco and Smoking. [Subject: Law, Legal Philosophy]




Legitimacy in International Law


Book Description

There has been intense debate in recent times over the legitimacy or otherwise of international law. This book contains fresh perspectives on these questions, offered at an international and interdisciplinary conference hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Law and International Law. At issue are questions including, for example, whether international law lacks legitimacy in general and whether international law or a part of it has yielded to the facts of power.




Legitimacy and International Courts


Book Description

One of the most noted developments in international law over the past twenty years is the proliferation of international courts and tribunals. They decide who has the right to exploit natural resources, define the scope of human rights, delimit international boundaries and determine when the use of force is prohibited. As the number and influence of international courts grow, so too do challenges to their legitimacy. This volume provides new interdisciplinary insights into international courts' legitimacy: what drives and undermines the legitimacy of these bodies? How do drivers change depending on the court concerned? What is the link between legitimacy, democracy, effectiveness and justice? Top international experts analyse legitimacy for specific international courts, as well as the links between legitimacy and cross-cutting themes. Failure to understand and respond to legitimacy concerns can endanger both the courts and the law they interpret and apply.




The Oxford Handbook of Law and Politics


Book Description

The study of law and politics is one of the foundation stones of the discipline of political science, and it has been one of the most productive areas of cross-fertilization between the various subfields of political science and between political science and other cognate disciplines. This Handbook provides a comprehensive survey of the field of law and politics in all its diversity, ranging from such traditional subjects as theories of jurisprudence, constitutionalism, judicial politics and law-and-society to such re-emerging subjects as comparative judicial politics, international law, and democratization. The Oxford Handbook of Law and Politics gathers together leading scholars in the field to assess key literatures shaping the discipline today and to help set the direction of research in the decade ahead.




Legisprudence


Book Description

This book establishes legisprudence, in contrast to jurisprudence, as a legal theory of rational law-making. It suggests that by rejecting the common wisdom about the nature of political law-making, legislation could be improved and streamlined. Using the methods, theoretical insights and tools of current legal theory and philosophy of law in a new way, the book suggests the creation of law by legislators rather than government. Raising new questions and problems of the validity of norms, the book opens a new perspective on legitimacy of norms, their meaning and the structure of the legal system. In distinguishing legitimacy and legitimation of law, the book ventures into the philosophical roots of legal theory and suggests the articulation of a new conception of sovereignty. In shifting the emphasis to the position of the legislator and legislation, this book opens a number of new insights into the relationship between legislative problems and legal theory. Its main claim is that legislation should be justified by the legislator.