Law Commons^™

Democracy Will Live As Long As Citizens Maintain Respect, Randy Lee

Randy Lee

No abstract provided.

Cracking Democracy, Milan Meszaros Physicist

Milan Meszaros physicist

A mai magyar politikai életben van egy mozzanat, amely sötét árnyékként vetül a jövőre. Ez pedig a politikai rendszer újra-konfigurálása és újra-programozása vagy ki-, illetve átkódolása a kétharmados többségre hivatkozással.

Government Under Party, Party Under Constitution: On The Construction Of Chinese State-Party Rule Of Law Constitutionalism, Larry Cata Backer

Larry Cata Backer

Since the establishment of the Soviet Union, constitutional theory has tended to look suspiciously at the constitutionalization of Marxist Leninist state apparatus under the control of a single party in power. These judgments have formed the basis of analysis of Chinese constitutionalism as well. But are these criticisms inevitably correct in general, and wholly applicable in the post 1989 Chinese context after the structural reforms of Deng Xiaoping and his successors? This paper explores those questions, developing a constitutional theory for states organized on a state-party model. The thesis of the article is this: Chinese constitutionalism presents a coherent and …

Conviction And Punishment: Free Press And Competitive Election As Deterrents To Corruption, Xiaowen Tian, Vai Lo

Xiaowen Tian

Democratic institutions are not equally effective in curbing corruption. Using a criminal behavior model, this study formulates the hypothesis that corruption offenders, being risk-inclined, are deterred more by conviction-reinforcing democratic institutions than by punishment-reinforcing democratic institutions. Evidence based on cross-country regressions strongly supports this hypothesis, indicating that compared with competitive election, free press is a more effective deterrent to corruption. While shedding light on why corruption remains rampant in some electoral democracies - particularly the illiberal democracies - this study identifies a key to corruption control.

From Undemocratic To Democratic Civil Society: Japan's Volunteer Fire Departments, Mary Alice Haddad

Mary Alice Haddad

How do undemocratic civic organizations become compatible with democratic civil society? How do local organizations merge older patriarchal, hierarchical values and practices with newer more egalitarian, democratic ones? This article tells the story of how volunteer fire departments have done this in Japan. Their transformation from centralized war instrument of an authoritarian regime to local community safety organization of a full-fledged democracy did not happen overnight. A slow process of demographic and value changes helped the organization adjust to more democratic social values and practices. The way in which this organization made the transition offers important lessons for emerging democracies …

Matters Of Preference: Tracing The Line Between Citizens, Democratic States, And International Law, Mark A. Chinen

Mark A. Chinen

In this Article, we assess the role the aggregation of citizen preferences into the foreign policy choices of a democratic country might play in the legitimization of international law. After addressing some of the theoretical and empirical issues associated with such an approach, we use an anticipated reaction model developed by Michael Bailey to show that even in large democracies there are mechanisms through which citizen preferences can be and are reflected in the policy choices of their representatives. Incumbents and candidates for office take policy positions in hopes of maximizing their future election chances. Although policymakers each have their …

Collective Discursive Democracy And International Law Personality For Transnational Enterprises, Russell Miller

Russell A. Miller

No abstract provided.

The Rule Of Law As The Rule Of Reasons, Mathilde Cohen

Mathilde Cohen

Evaluating South Africa's Post-Apartheid Democratic Prospects Through The Lens Of Economic Development Theory, Jonathan Marshfield

Jonathan Marshfield

China, A Sui Generis Case For The Western Rule-Of-Law Model, Jialue Li

Jialue Charles Li

This article synthesizes the Chinese rule of law theories based on their historic and theoretical development in China, and offers in-depth comparison between the Western and Chinese rule of law models. The current rule of law discussions about China usually premise on the Western rule of law model. The article first summarizes the Western framework in broad categories of substantive theory versus formal theory. But it goes further and explores how these concepts apply in the real world, especially in the context of American jurisprudence. The in-depth analysis of the Western rule of law theories, both at the theoretical and …

Andean Left Turns: Constituent Power And Constitution-Making, Maxwell A. Cameron, Kenneth E. Sharpe

Maxwell Cameron

"Cameron and Sharpe begin with the observation that Latin American left turns have occurred within the framework of electoral democracy, and that the concerns about the 'illiberalism' of the left (or indeed of some Latin American democracies generally) are belied by a remarkable commitment to constitutionalism on the part of precisely those leaders who have emerged in countries where liberal and republican institutions have historically been most weak: the Andes. Yet the commitment to constitutionalism can limit the possibilities for fundamental reform. Cameron and Sharpe see the allure of 'constituent power' as a formula for attempting 'foundational' change without revolutionary …

El Liberalismo Neoclásico , El Libre Mercado Y Sus Críticos, Carmen G. Gonzalez, Colin Crawford, Daniel Bonilla Maldonado

Carmen G. Gonzalez

The articles collected in this volume critically examine the hegemony of market fundamentalism in law, politics, and social theory. They question the underlying premises of market fundamentalism as well as the social, economic, cultural and environmental consequences of policies inspired by this ideology. The authors represent several disciplines (law, economics, anthropology) and various countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the United States, and Venezuela). The topics covered include free trade agreements, Argentina's financial crisis, deregulation in Brazil, the judicial enforcement of economic and social rights, climate change, and the impact of trade liberalization on violence against women. The articles were originally …