Research Handbooks in Law and Politics series – serie

This timely Research Handbook offers a comprehensive examination of judicial politics, both in the US and across the globe. Taking a broad view of the judiciary in all levels of the court, it examines the present state of the field and raises new questions for future scholarly exploration.Expert authors critically analyse what the current literature tells us about important phenomena related to judicial politics, while simultaneously expanding the scope of that knowledge through original empirical research. Chapters cover the process of judicial decision-making in different types of courts, before discussing the electoral dimensions of judicial appointments, as well as vertical and horizontal constraints on judicial behaviour. They also address extrajudicial communications, public opinion and legitimacy, before concluding with an examination of methodological issues in judicial politics research.Accessibly written, the Research Handbook on Judicial Politics is a vital resource for graduate and undergraduate students of law, political science and public policy. It is also beneficial to practitioners in law and law related fields who are interested in gaining insight into the processes and structure of the judiciary.

The public sector ombudsman has become one of the most important administrative justice institutions in many countries around the world. This international and interdisciplinary Research Handbook brings together leading scholars and practitioners to discuss the state-of-the-art research on this increasingly prominent institution.Traditionally, research on the ombudsman has been conducted from a purely prescriptive or (legal) descriptive perspective, mainly focusing on the ombudsman 'in the books'. By contrast, this book illustrates how empirical research may contribute to a better understanding of the ombudsman 'in action'. It uses new empirical studies and competing theoretical explanations to critically examine important aspects of the ombudsman's work. The Research Handbook is organized in to four parts: fundamentals of the ombudsman; the evolution of the ombudsman; evaluation of the ombudsman; and the ombudsman office and profession. Featuring case studies from Europe, Canada, Asia, Africa, Latin America and Australia, chapters provide a comprehensive global perspective on the issues at hand.This unique Research Handbook will be of great value to researchers in the fields of public law, socio-legal studies and alternative dispute resolution who have an interest in the ombudsman. It will also be a valuable resource for policymakers and practitioners, particularly those working within ombudsman offices.Contributors include: V. Ayeni, C.A. Barco, A. Bedner, R. Behrens, V. Bondy, B. Bradford, A. Brenninkmeijer, S. Carl, J. Chan, N. Creutzfeldt, J. Dahlvik, M. de Langen, M. Doyle, L. Díez, C. Gill, E. Govers, M. Groves, C. Harlow, M. Hertogh, C. Hodges, B. Hubeau, R. Kirkham, M. Lezertua, J. McMillan, N. O'Brien, A. Pohn-Weidinger, L.C. Reif, M. Remác, A. Stumckhe, P. Tyndall, B. Tai, Y. van der Vlugt, E. van Gelder, R. van Zutphen, V. Wong

This comprehensive Research Handbook offers a multi-faceted analysis of the politics of law and courts and their role in governing. The authors develop new theoretical, empirical and methodological approaches to the study of law and courts as institutions, while accounting for the increasing diversity and complexity of the jurisdictions they oversee.The Research Handbook on Law and Courts features contributions from leading scholars in the United States, New Zealand, South Africa, Latin America and a number of European countries, enriching the scope of theoretical development in the field and identifying areas for future research. Chapters address courts' centrality to governance by explaining how they participate in holding democratic administrations politically accountable, as well as by highlighting the political significance of court decisions concerning citizenship and inclusion. Chapters include studies of interactions between legal arguments, courts and other institutions that rely on law, as well as reflections on the physical and digital spaces of law. This volume also examines demographic diversity in judging before concluding with discussions of increasing digitization and computing power, and the significance of both for legal processes and sociolegal scholarship.Scholars concerned with courts and political accountability in complex, multi-layered governance will find this Research Handbook an invaluable resource. Since courts and legal structures are increasingly significant around the world, the Research Handbook will also be useful to other social scientists concerned with inclusion, representation, and accountability through law.

Offering a wealth of thought-provoking insights, this topical Research Handbook analyses the interplay between the law and politics of the EU and examines the role of law and legal actors in European integration.Expert contributors from international and interdisciplinary backgrounds set the politics of EU law in both a historical and contemporary context, exploring the relations between different EU institutions across a variety of substantive policy areas. Identifying the main sites of interaction between law and politics, chapters highlight key theoretical insights providing an in-depth understanding of the field. With up-to-date coverage of the latest developments, this Research Handbook analyses the impact of Brexit, economic and financial crises, migration crises and important trends for law and governance.Discerning and forward-thinking, this Research Handbook will be key reading for students and scholars of European law, European politics, and those with an interest in exploring the interface between the two. Its accessible approach will also engage practitioners in EU law and politics, including lawyers and national government and EU institution officials.Contributors include: A.S. Aldrich, K. Alexandris Polomarkakis, S. Bekker, M. Blauberger, J. Borg-Barthet, P.J. Cardwell, W.T. Daniel, R. Dickson, M. Everson, E. Fahey, A. Frese, M. Gaglia Bareli, M. Geelhoed, M.-P. Granger, A. Heindlmaier, E. Herlin-Karnell, F. Mendez, M. Mendez, E. Morgera, L. Parks, N. Pérez-Solórzano Borragán, M. Sánchez Barrueco, S. Saurugger, S. Smismans, F. Terpan, A. Tryfonidou, E. Tsioumani, R. Zahn

As the law and politics of migration become increasingly intertwined, this thought-provoking Research Handbook addresses the challenge of analysing their relationship. Discussing the evolving theoretical approaches to migration, it explores the growing attention given to the legal frameworks for migration and the expansion of regulation, as migration moves to the centre of the global political agenda.The Research Handbook demonstrates that the overlap between law and politics puts the rule of law at risk in matters of migration as advocates around the globe increasingly turn to law to address the challenges of new migration politics. Presenting a fresh mapping of current issues in the field, it focusses on institutions of migration and analyses the securitization of migration management and the strengths and weaknesses of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.Written by leading scholars specialising in a range of disciplines, the Research Handbook on the Law and Politics of Migration will be an illuminating read for academics and students of migration studies with backgrounds in law, politics, criminology, sociology, history, geography and beyond.

This timely Research Handbook examines the dynamic and interdependent relationship between law and diplomacy in the contemporary international system. Through accounts of the actual practice of international law and diplomacy, it provides insights into how international law and relations operate and examines the complex relationship.An impressive selection of contributors provides analyses of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy in international law making, interpretation, and adjudication. These accounts include examinations of legal diplomacy, reforms within international organisations, judicial diplomacy, and the role of non-state actors – including NGOs and corporations – in the international system. Chapters consist of case studies of treaty negotiations, multilateral legal reform, and the resolution of disputes under formal and informal international legal mechanisms. This Handbook also assesses the relative roles of lawyers, diplomats and lawyer-diplomats within the international system, and the ethical framework for their professional conduct.This Handbook will be helpful to advanced undergraduate, graduate, and law students, as well as researchers, practitioners, and policy makers interested in multilateralism, diplomacy, international law, international organisations, civil society, and the ethics of law and diplomacy.

International human rights law is undoubtedly intertwined with politics. This Research Handbook explores and provokes reflection on how politics impacts human rights legislation and, conversely, how human rights law shapes politics and the functioning of the state.Bringing together leading international scholars in human rights law and politics, the Research Handbook provides theoretical reflections and empirical analyses across the areas of governance and policies and examines the implementation mechanisms of human rights law in national and international jurisdictions. Chapters discuss issues such as the mobilization of human rights in developing countries, the politics of torture and resource allocation, and the influence of politics on international institutions. It also presents a critical analysis of the human rights regimes in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and how the state works in ways which respect the ethics and values of human rights law.Providing a comprehensive overview of the reciprocal relationship between politics and human rights legislation, this Research Handbook will be essential reading for students and academics in human rights, international politics, law and politics, and public policy.

This Research Handbook is a multi-faceted, comparative analysis of how law and political systems interact around the world. Chapters include analyses of judicial deference, congressional support, democratic representation, politicization of courts, public support, and judicialization across multiple jurisdictions in the United States and abroad. Chapters also investigate transnational courts and the linkages between international and domestic law and politics.Addressing these relationships from a comparative perspective, the Handbook illustrates how different political contexts lead to different uses of law and how courts respond to divergent political environments. An impressive array of contributors, and the editors, examine law and political systems on a global scale through either country-specific analyses, comparative analyses, or the examination of transnational institutions.Scholars interested in law and courts, judicial politics, the rule of law, and governance will find this Research Handbook to be a valuable resource. It will provide a helpful foundation for advanced students of both political science and law and will be a useful reference tool for judges and those operating in a judicial or political sphere.

This comprehensive Research Handbook provides a detailed account of law and democracy through an examination of three key themes: democratic legal institutions, democratic legal theories and contemporary challenges to democracy. It provides case studies of legal democracy, presenting new insights into democratic processes, procedures and rights.Chapters focusing on democratic legal institutions discuss representative and referendum democracy, federalism, political parties, knowledge institutions, and courts. The next theme analyses democratic legal theories and canvasses socio-legal perspectives of democracy and law, drawing on procedural, deliberative, economic and feminist approaches. Finally, chapters exploring the challenges to democracy consider questions arising from economic, environmental and geopolitical trends. Expert authors cover international law, supranational law (such as the European Union) and domestic law concerned with democracy and democratic backsliding. They also investigate established, emerging and new democracies across six continents and provide in-depth analyses, explaining how legal democracy functions.Assessing fundamental questions about law and democracy, this Research Handbook is a crucial resource for legal academics, students, practitioners and political scientists.

This Research Handbook offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary account of sovereignty as one of the most contested concepts in law and politics. Bringing together leading scholars from a wide range of traditions, it examines sovereignty not only as a legal doctrine and political claim, but also as a symbolic form. Chapters trace the epigenesis of sovereignty from Ancient Greece, Rome, and Byzantium to the modern state, revealing how religious, metaphysical, and philosophical ideas shaped its development. A unique comparative section explores Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Confucian, Indigenous, and settler-colonial traditions, showing how different worlds imagine authority, legitimacy, and collective self-rule. The volume also investigates the functional, normative, and symbolic dimensions of sovereignty in contemporary constitutionalism, including debates on democratic authority, European integration, secession, illiberalism, and populism. Further contributions analyze sovereignty’s entanglement with exceptionalism, labor, biopolitics, and transconstitutionalism. The concluding chapters examine why sovereignty persists as a powerful political imaginary, assessing its critiques and rearticulations—from political theology and relational ethics to feminist, anarchist, and decolonial perspectives. The Research Handbook on the Law and Politics of Sovereignty is an essential resource for scholars and students of law, political theory, intellectual history, and international relations, as well as practitioners concerned with constitutionalism and global governance.

Constitutional law is a ‘semi-autonomous’ discipline, where texts and doctrines are completely and complexly intertwined with the political systems within which constitutional law is found. This timely Research Handbook develops the idea that understanding constitutional law means understanding constitutional politics as well.Using both comparative and political analysis, this forward-looking reference work deals with the politics of constitutional law around the world, delivering global treatment of the politics of constitutional law across issues, regions and legal systems. The chapters are meticulously organised around ‘foundations’, ‘structures’, ‘rights’ and ‘futures’, providing a well-rounded overview of the topic and noting the key recent developments in the field. The distinction between law and politics is of course a contested one and the selection of prominent established and emerging scholars and contributors to this Handbook implicitly offer varying perspectives on it.Offering an innovative, critical approach to an array of key concepts and topics, this book will be a key resource for both legal scholars and political science scholars. Students with interests in law and politics, constitutions, legal theory and public policy will also find this a beneficial companion.