Fragile democracies : contested power in the era of constitutional courts / Samuel Issacharoff, New York University School of Law.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Issacharoff, Samuel, author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in election law and democracy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Constitutional history.

Democracy.

New democracies.

Constitutional courts.

Constitutional law.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 298 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2015.

System Details:

text file

PDF

Summary:

Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the democratic ascendency of the post-Soviet era is under severe challenge. While fragile democracies in Eastern Europe, Africa, and East Asia face renewed threats, the world has witnessed the failed democratic promises of the Arab Spring. What lessons can be drawn from these struggles? What conditions or institutions are needed to prevent the collapse of democracy? This book argues that the most significant antidote to authoritarianism is the presence of strong constitutional courts. Distinct in the third wave of democratization, these courts serve as a bulwark against vulnerability to external threats as well as internal consolidation of power. Particular attention is given to societies riven by deep divisions of race, religion, or national background, for which the courts have become pivotal actors in allowing democracy to take root.

Contents:

Introduction : The Burden of Modern Democracy

The American Paradox

The Boundaries of Democracy

Types of Threats

Responses to Antidemocratic Threats

Judging Militant Democracy

Giving Up Power

The Promise of Constitutional Democracy

Transition in South Africa

The Era of Constitutional Courts

The Constitutional Bargain

Can Law Protect Democracy?

Constitutionalism in the Time of Fragile Democracies

Epilogue : Democratic Objectives.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Other Format:

Print version:

ISBN:

9781139839334

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.