Abusive Constitutional Borrowing

Law is a fast globalizing field and many lawyers, judges, and political leaders are engaged in a process of comparative 'borrowing'. But this new form of legal globalization has dark sides. It is not just a source of inspiration for those seeking to strengthen and improve democratic institutions and policies, it is increasingly an inspiration - and legitimation device - for those seeking to erode democracy by stealth under the guise of faux liberal democratic cover. Abusive Constitutional Borrowing: Legal Globalization and the Subversion of Liberal Democracy outlines this phenomenon, how it succeeds, and what we can do to prevent it. It addresses current patterns of democratic retrenchment and explores its multiple variants and technologies, considering the role of legitimating ideologies that help support different modes of abusive constitutionalism. An important contribution to both legal and political scholarship, this book will be of interest to those working in the legal and political disciplines of public law, constitutional theory, political theory, and political science.