The Rule Of Law Pluralism And The Market Economy

By building on and extending debates in socio-legal studies about the social role of law, and dealing with issues largely absent from international political economy this book will be of great interest to socio _ legal scholars and political economist&

Laura Grenfell critically evaluates how the rule of law is contextualized and promoted in states where customary law is prevalent.

Law in the Age of Pluralism contains a collection of essays on the intersection of legal and political philosophy. Written within the analytical tradition in jurisprudence, the collection covers a wide range of topics, such as the nature of law and legal theory, the rule of law, the values of democracy and constitutionalism, moral aspects of legal interpretation, the nature of rights, economic equality, and more. The essays in this volume explore issues where law, morality and politics meet, and discuss some of the key challenges facing liberal democracies. Marmor posits that a liberal state must first and foremost respect people's personal autonomy and their differing, though reasonable, conceptions of the good and the just. This basic respect for pluralism is shown to entail a rather skeptical attitude towards grand theories of law and state, such as contemporary constitutionalism or Dworkin's conception of 'law as integrity'. The values of pluralism and respect for autonomy, however, are also employed to justify some of the main aspects of a liberal state, such as the value of democracy, the rule of law, and certain conceptions of equality. The essays are organized in three groups: the first considers the rule of law, democracy and constitutionalism. The second group consists of several essays on the nature of law, legal theory, and their relations to morality. Finally, the collection concludes with essays on the nature of rights, the limits of rights discourse, and the value of economic equality.

Proceedings from a colloquium

"Abstract Global legal pluralism has become one of the leading analytical frameworks for understanding and conceptualizing law in the twenty-first century"--

"examines how the rule of law is understood conceptually and pragmatically-both on its own terms and as part of post-conflict state-building efforts. It examines thinner, more process-orientated understandings of the rule of law as well as thicker, more substantive conceptualizations with additional political, social, and economic components. While both approaches are worthwhile, I argue that a minimalist conception of rule of law offers the most appropriate standard for assessing progress in judicial state-building after conflict"--

Law matters in economic development. The Rule of Law is an indispensable foundation for a market economy, which provides an essential environment for the creation and preservation of wealth, economic security, and well-being, and the improvement of the quality of life. The Rule of Law is part of the "software" of governmental regulation that is needed to operate the "hardware" of free markets. Its promotion can make a major contribution to economic growth, and an infrastructure that creates and promites legal rights is an essential platform for economic development. The cumulative costs of doing without the Rule of Law in a modern economy are enormous. Establishing a firmly rooted system of the Rule of Law is unfinished business in the countries participating in the Central American Free Trade Agreement ("CAFTA"). Building an effective Rule of Law is essencial to the promotion of a free market economic system that fosters transparency in business transactions and operations. The Rule of Law in the commercial sector promotes economic stability and growth, encourages investors to make investments, creates jobs, increases the standard of living, and promotes prosperity. The Rule of Law requirements for a market economy differ rather substantially from the Rule of Law requirements for other types of social needs. The purpose of this comment is to outline those Rule of Law features that are essential to the proper functioning of a free market economy and to call attention to the unique characteristics of these legal features. Part I introduces the role of the Rule of Law in a free market economy. Part II describes the major legal systems that the Rule of Law requires to support such an economy. Part III of this Comment concludes that the Rule of Law is an indispensable basis for a free market economy.