Dana Burchardt - Böcker

The rule of law, or Rechtsstaatsprinzip, is one of Germany’s oldest constitutional principles and forms part of Germany’s constitutional self-understanding. This book critically examines to what extent this key constitutional principle has translated into a reality for all.The book provides a comprehensive insight into rule of law experiences and discourses in Germany. It explores Germany’s long rule of law tradition and highlights where the German state has fallen short of its rule of law promise, using historical and contemporary examples. It also shows that Germany’s rule of law experience is tightly interwoven with European and international rule of law debates. By integrating historical, socio-legal and doctrinal perspectives, the book provides a nuanced account of a foundational principle in German constitutional thought.Dedicated chapters explore the history and doctrine of the rule of law, challenges to the rule of law in today’s Germany, the rule of law experience in the former German Democratic Republic and in the context of reunification, the relationship of the German rule of law practice with the rule of law on the European and international level, and the rule of law in times of crisis. This includes challenges to the rule of law through anti-terrorism measures, as well as the more recent COVID-19 pandemic and the so-called migration crisis, but also how the rule of law has been discursively (mis-)used in those situations. In concluding, the book highlights digitalisation as a challenge to the future of the rule of law in Germany.

The rule of law, or Rechtsstaatsprinzip, is one of Germany’s oldest constitutional principles and forms part of Germany’s constitutional self-understanding. This book critically examines to what extent this key constitutional principle has translated into a reality for all.The book provides a comprehensive insight into rule of law experiences and discourses in Germany. It explores Germany’s long rule of law tradition and highlights where the German state has fallen short of its rule of law promise, using historical and contemporary examples. It also shows that Germany’s rule of law experience is tightly interwoven with European and international rule of law debates. By integrating historical, socio-legal and doctrinal perspectives, the book provides a nuanced account of a foundational principle in German constitutional thought.Dedicated chapters explore the history and doctrine of the rule of law, challenges to the rule of law in today’s Germany, the rule of law experience in the former German Democratic Republic and in the context of reunification, the relationship of the German rule of law practice with the rule of law on the European and international level, and the rule of law in times of crisis. This includes challenges to the rule of law through anti-terrorism measures, as well as the more recent COVID-19 pandemic and the so-called migration crisis, but also how the rule of law has been discursively (mis-)used in those situations. In concluding, the book highlights digitalisation as a challenge to the future of the rule of law in Germany.

Why do some international courts wield broad authority while others face pushback or fade into irrelevance? This book provides novel theoretical and empirical insights into this question. It offers a fresh, interdisciplinary perspective on the authority of international courts, drawing from law, political science and behavioural research.It develops, in Part I, a theoretical model and analytical framework for assessing these questions. The model explains how authority relationships between courts and their audiences – such as states, NGOs, individual applicants, and domestic courts – are formed, maintained, or contested. In Part II, the book applies this analytical framework to in-depth case studies of two selected international courts: the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States. These studies not only provide deeper insights into the authority of these courts but also demonstrate how the analytical framework can be applied to other international courts to generate an enhanced understanding of international court authority.The book sheds new light on why some courts enjoy enduring authority and others face pushback, offering powerful tools for understanding the behaviour of international courts and their audiences.

Das Unionsrecht und das nationale Recht sind auf vielfältige Weise miteinander verknüpft. Wie aber ist die gegenseitige Einwirkung beider Rechtsmassen aufeinander konkret ausgestaltet? Dana Burchardt zeigt dies mit dem Modell eines europäischen Normenverbundes. Den Ausgangspunkt und zugleich den Schwerpunkt der Betrachtung bildet dabei die Rangfrage: Ist das Unionsrecht dem nationalen Recht übergeordnet oder umgekehrt? Ist ein hierarchisches Verständnis beider Rechtsmassen überhaupt denkbar? Die verschiedenen Begründungsansätze für mögliche Hierarchieverhältnisse werden kritisch hinterfragt. Das Modell eines europäischen Normenverbundes bietet dann den konzeptionellen Rahmen, um die Rangfrage stimmig zu beantworten. Kernthese ist dabei, dass der Blick auf das Verhältnis der Rechts ordnungen ergänzt werden muss - und zwar um die Dimension der einzelnen Normen und ihrer Interaktionen.

Analysing international law through the prism of “cynicism” makes it possible to look beyond overt disregard for international law, currently discussed in terms of a backlash or crisis.