Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Towards A Communicative Theory Of International Law, Timothy L. Meyer
Towards A Communicative Theory Of International Law, Timothy L. Meyer
Scholarly Works
Does international law's effectiveness require a clear distinction between law and non-law? This essay, which reviews Jean d'Aspremont's Formalism and the Sources of International Law, argues the answer is no. Ambiguity about the legal nature of international instruments has important benefits. Clarity in the law may encourage states to do the minimum necessary to comply, while some uncertainty about what the law requires may induce states to take extra efforts to ensure they are in compliance. Ambiguity in the law also promotes dynamic change, an important feature in rapidly developing areas of the law such as international environmental law and …
Latino Voters 2012 And Beyond: Will The Fastest Growing And Evolving Electoral Group Shape U.S. Politics?, Sylvia R. Lazos
Latino Voters 2012 And Beyond: Will The Fastest Growing And Evolving Electoral Group Shape U.S. Politics?, Sylvia R. Lazos
Scholarly Works
The author reviews two recent books, Marisa A. Abrajano’s Campaigning to the New American Electorate: Advertising to Latino Voters (2010) and Marisa A. Abrajano’s and R. Michael Alvarez’s New Faces New Voices: The Hispanic Electorate in America (2010). These books are part of a growing literature that scientifically studies the evolving Latino electorate, and attempts to answer difficult questions about this ethnic group’s electorate cohesiveness and how candidates might be able to influence the Latino electorate. A careful read of Abrajano’s recent books brings additional understanding to Latino voter behavior, and by implication, how this key group will influence the …
Fidelity To Law And The Moral Pluralism Premise, Katherine R. Kruse
Fidelity To Law And The Moral Pluralism Premise, Katherine R. Kruse
Scholarly Works
In Fidelity to Law, Wendel presents and defends a comprehensive theory of legal ethics with two interrelated arguments: a functional argument that law deserves respect because of its capacity to settle normative controversy in a morally pluralistic society; and a normative argument that law deserves respect because democratic lawmaking processes respect the equality and dignity of citizens. This review essay questions Wendel’s move from the premise of moral pluralism to his conclusion that the function of law is to settle normative controversy in society on both practical and theoretical grounds. Practically, it argues that law lacks the capacity to …
Two Cheers For Instant Runoff Voting, Michael Lewyn
Two Cheers For Instant Runoff Voting, Michael Lewyn
Scholarly Works
"Instant runoff voting" (IRV) is a system that allows voters to rank their choices in a multicandidate election. Thus, the second-choice voters of less successful candidates are redistributed to the front-runners. The purpose of this system is to prevent candidates opposed by a majority of voters from winning. For example, if candidates A and B each have 40 percent of the vote and candidate C has 20 percent, the front-runner supported by the majority of C's supporters is the true "majority choice" and will win under IRV. The purpose of this article is to critically examine the arguments for and …