The Rule of Law: Definitions, Measures, Patterns and Causes - Hardcover

Møller, J.; Skaaning, S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1137320605 ISBN 13: 9781137320605

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014

Synopsis

This detailed study provides a thorough overview and critical discussion of conceptions and measures of the rule of law. It demonstrates that the choice of definitions and measures affects descriptive and explanatory findings in respect to the rule of law. Moreover, it argues that a constitutionalist legacy dating back to the Mediaeval times explains why European and European settler colonies have historically and habitually display a higher adherence to and reliance on nomocracy than other countries and why this trend has continued to this day. By integrating conceptual definitions, measures, patterns, and causes, this book presents a comprehensive and coherent framework for studying the rule of law, which students and scholars can use as a general entry point to the literature to the subject and why we see such significant variation in nomocracy adherence between different countries today.

About this title

Review

Moller and Skaaning offer a much-needed systematization of the voluminous research that is transforming our knowledge about the rule of law. They acknowledge diverse conceptions of the rule of law. But they push far past the usual conceptual discussion. Rigorously blending theoretical and empirical analysis, Moller and Skaaning show how our conception of the rule of law informs how we describe trends around the world and what we think explains the rule of law. A timely and insightful book that will be of value to political scientists, economists and legal scholars who seek to understand the rule of law, and to practitioners in the field of governance who seek to promote the rule of law. Gerardo Munck, School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of South California, USA. Over the past several decades policymakers and social scientists have come to invoke the "rule of law" with the same reverence and wonderment that we reserve for other beneficent concepts such as justice, democracy, and good governance. Yet, a cloud of ambiguity follows this concept wherever it travels. This book provides the first systematic treatment that is both conceptual and empirical. I suspect it will come to be regarded as authoritative. John Gerring, Department of Political Science, Boston University, USA The rule of law is simultaneously one of the most universally approved, and yet most imprecise concepts in the literature on political economy. The volume by Moller and Skaaning helps greatly by imposing some clarity with regard to definitions, as well as providing extremely useful discussions both of historical origins and approaches to empirical measurement of the rule of law. Francis Fukuyama, Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies, Stanford University, USA

About the Author

Jørgen Møller has a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy and is currently a Professor at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Denmark. His research interests include conceptualization of democracy, post-communist political change, patterns of democratization and democratic stability, patterns of state formation, and comparative methodology.

Svend-Erik Skaaning has a PhD from Aarhus University and is currently a Professor at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Denmark. His research interests include conceptualization, measurement, and explanation of democracy and human rights and comparative methodology. Skaaning is currently involved in two major research projects- DEDERE and V-Dem.

Edition details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1137320605
• ISBN 13: 9781137320605
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 210