Constitutional Dialogues in Comparative Perspective - by S Kenney & W Reisinger & J Reitz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From Russia and Hungary to the United States and Canada, including Britain, France, and Germany, courts are increasingly recognised as political institutions that are important players in political systems. In addition, transnational courts such as the European Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights are extending their reach and affecting more than ever the politics of member states. The book contains essays written by scholars of law and political science exploring in interdisciplinary fashion the relationship between law and politics in cross-national perspective, focusing principally on contemporary Europe.

Review Quotes

'This book is among the most remarkable of its kind to be published to date. It is a reflection of the best in a new scholarly approach to legal Europe and it has some unique features which position it on a pedestal all its own.Though this is not the case today, twenty years ago or so, the mere fact of putting out a book of this kind would have been remarkable. In tone, content and erudition it is exemplary. That alone is worth a great deal. What makes it so remarkable, however, is both scope and execution. First, its definition of Europe is bold and operates at many levels. Its definition of the legal landscape is also bold and transcends not only the old but also much of the new genre of European law scholarship. A third virtue is its methodological richness, which is short-changed by the bland catchphrase - political science. In truth it is the broad range of social sciences which inform the various contributions as well as that delicate interface between legal theory and political science. Perhaps the greatest contribution of the entire volume, is in provoking us to a deeper understanding of the phenomenology of courts, judicial review and constitutionalism in contexts which are different from the well-established and well known Western liberal nation-state. In this sense the literature has been greatly enriched by this volume and for that, all contributors should been congratulated.' - from the foreword by J.H.H.Weiler, Manley Hudson Professor and Jean Monnet Chair, Harvard University and Co-Director, Academy of European Law, European University Institute, Florence

'...this volume should prove useful and suggestive to comparative legal and political scholars.' - Maria McFarland, International Law and Politics

About the Author

WILLIAM G. BUSS O.K. Patton Professor of Law at the University of Iowa JEFFREY SEITZER Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Indiana University Northwest MARTIN SHAPIRO Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley SUSAN STERETT Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver ALEC STONE SWEET Professor of Political Science in the School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine