Carol Harlow – författare

Group litigation has been recognised by political scientists in the States as a useful method of gaining ground and attracting publicity for pressure groups since the turn of the century. In Britain however, recognition that the courts fill such a role has come more slowly. Despite this lack of recognition, pressure through law is far from a modern phenomenon. As the authors show, such cases can be identified in Britain as early as 1749 when abolitionists used the court to test conflicting views of slavery in common law.

This book looks at the extent to which pressure groups in Britain use litigation, presenting a view of the courts as a target for campaigners and a vehicle for campaigning. It begins with a description of the tradition of pressure through law in Britain, tracing the development of a parallel tradition in the United States, which has been influential in shaping current British attitudes.

The authors analyse the significance of the political environment in Britain in test-case strategy. In contrast with America, Britain has no written constitution and no Bill of Rights and its lack of Freedom of Information legislation makes both litigation and the monitoring of its effects very difficult. However, the centralised character of the British government means that the effects of lobbying are rather more visible in the corridors of power.

The authors examine a large number of case studies in order to analyse current practice, and they look at the rapidly changing European and international scene, discussing transnational law, the European community and the Council of Europe. They also look at the campaign tactics of global organisations such as Amnesty and Greenpeace.

Carol Harlow and Richard Rawlings are experienced in public law and familiar with political science literature. They are therefore able to relate legal systems to the political process, in a book designed to be accessible and important to lawyers, to political scientists and to lobby group activists.

Group litigation has been recognised by political scientists in the States as a useful method of gaining ground and attracting publicity for pressure groups since the turn of the century. In Britain however, recognition that the courts fill such a role has come more slowly. Despite this lack of recognition, pressure through law is far from a modern phenomenon. As the authors show, such cases can be identified in Britain as early as 1749 when abolitionists used the court to test conflicting views of slavery in common law.

This book looks at the extent to which pressure groups in Britain use litigation, presenting a view of the courts as a target for campaigners and a vehicle for campaigning. It begins with a description of the tradition of pressure through law in Britain, tracing the development of a parallel tradition in the United States, which has been influential in shaping current British attitudes.

The authors analyse the significance of the political environment in Britain in test-case strategy. In contrast with America, Britain has no written constitution and no Bill of Rights and its lack of Freedom of Information legislation makes both litigation and the monitoring of its effects very difficult. However, the centralised character of the British government means that the effects of lobbying are rather more visible in the corridors of power.

The authors examine a large number of case studies in order to analyse current practice, and they look at the rapidly changing European and international scene, discussing transnational law, the European community and the Council of Europe. They also look at the campaign tactics of global organisations such as Amnesty and Greenpeace.

Carol Harlow and Richard Rawlings are experienced in public law and familiar with political science literature. They are therefore able to relate legal systems to the political process, in a book designed to be accessible and important to lawyers, to political scientists and to lobby group activists.

Key chapters, written by leading experts across the field, engage with important ongoing debates in the field of EU administrative law, focusing on areas of topical interest such as financial markets, the growing security state and problematic common asylum procedures. In doing so, they provide a summary of what we know, don''t know and ought to know about EU administrative law.

Examining the control functions of administrative law and the machinery for accountability, this Research Handbook eloquently challenges areas of authoritarian governance, such as the Eurozone and security state, where control and accountability are weak and tackles the seemingly insoluble question of citizen ''voice'' and access to policy making.

Practical and engaging, this timely Research Handbook is sure to appeal to scholars and researchers of EU administrative law and EU law more broadly. Legal practitioners and EU policy makers will also benefit from its high level of engagement with contemporary deliberations.

Contributors include: V. Abazi, M. Baran, T.A. Börzel, K. Bradley, A. Brenninkmeijer, E. Chiti, D. Curtin, H. Darbishire, M. de Visser, G. della Cananea, M. Everson, J. Grimheden, E. Guild, C. Harlow, E.G. Heidbreder, H. Hofmann, C. Joerges, M. Kjaerum, P. Leino, L. Leppavirta, I. Maher, J. Mendes, L. Muzi, N. Póltorak, T. Raunio, R. Rawlings, M. Ruffert, J.-P. Schneider, C. Scott, G. Toggenburg

With the aim of expanding legal scholarly imagination, this Research Agenda takes a tripolar approach to administrative law. It opens the boundaries of administrative law scholarship to new subject areas, exemplifies and opens for consideration several different attitudes to research, and illustrates a multiplicity of different ways of writing about the subject.

Drawing on the expertise of an impressive selection of contributors, with experience of research in different administrative law fields, this book breaks away from the dominance of doctrinal analysis which permeates the existing literature and explores contemporary, innovative methods of research. Chapters present a concise account of what is known and unknown about administrative law, as well as recasting what was considered known. The book provides an arena for an exchange of ideas, all of which are designed to push scholars into thinking seriously about research methods and to develop novel scholarly agendas that can enrich administrative law.

Addressing a void in current research and scholarship, this timely book will be of interest to lawyers and academics keen to push beyond the current boundaries of administrative law. Degree-level students and early career researchers in the fields of comparative and public law will also benefit from this discerning Research Agenda.

The lawmaking process of the European Union is a topic of primary concern not only for academics from a variety of disciplines, but also for politicians and for citizens of the EU in general. Lawmaking in the European Union will be of interest to all such people, and covers every aspect of this subject in a unique and comprehensive manner. Part I of the book considers issues relating to democracy and legitimacy within the Union, topics which have been the subject of increased debate in recent years. Using a comparative perspective, Part II explores the role of the European Parliament and national parliaments in the European lawmaking process. The focus shifts in Part III to institutional interaction. The contributions within this section highlight the way in which lawmaking operates in the diverse subject areas which fall within the competence of the Community and the Union, emphasizing the way in which major players interact when passing new legislation. Finally, Part IV considers problems relating to the harmonisation, implementation and incorporation of Community law within the Member States. The contributors themselves represent a number of different Member States and this provides a valuable wider focus for the inquiry.