The Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development

The rule of law is a central notion in legal thought and in the practice of democratic states. While a contested term, scholars have articulated its contours – both formal and substantive. This includes ideas such as legal certainty, prospectivity, access to justice, and the fact that everyone shoul...

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Autores principales: Antoine Buyse, Katharine Fortin, Brianne McGonigle Leyh, Julie Fraser
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Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Utrecht University School of Law 2021
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:304cd38816084c5bb590def2c374ad352021-11-08T08:17:05ZThe Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development1871-515X10.36633/ulr.771https://doaj.org/article/304cd38816084c5bb590def2c374ad352021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.utrechtlawreview.org/articles/771https://doaj.org/toc/1871-515XThe rule of law is a central notion in legal thought and in the practice of democratic states. While a contested term, scholars have articulated its contours – both formal and substantive. This includes ideas such as legal certainty, prospectivity, access to justice, and the fact that everyone should be accountable under the law. Much of the scholarship has centred on states and international organisations as the primary entities responsible for protecting the rule of law. By contrast, the relationship between individuals and groups of people in civil society vis-à-vis the rule of law is under-explored in (international) law. This special issue is therefore dedicated to elaborating upon this relationship – the ‘rule of law from below.’ This Introduction sets out the concept and illustrates it with examples of the innovative ways that people are using in practice to support the rule of law from below. While noting that the concept of ‘rule of law from below’ is one under development, we argue that there is much value in investigating instances where actors beyond formal state institutions, who have no constitutional or other formal legal role, take it upon themselves to uphold and defend the rule of law. This is especially important in today’s global context of shifts in power between state and non-state actors, as well as pervasive democratic and rule-of-law backsliding.Antoine BuyseKatharine FortinBrianne McGonigle LeyhJulie FraserUtrecht University School of Lawarticlerule of law from belowlegal conceptshuman rightscivil societyLaw in general. Comparative and uniform law. JurisprudenceK1-7720ENUtrecht Law Review, Vol 17, Iss 2 (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic rule of law from below
legal concepts
human rights
civil society
Law in general. Comparative and uniform law. Jurisprudence
K1-7720
spellingShingle rule of law from below
legal concepts
human rights
civil society
Law in general. Comparative and uniform law. Jurisprudence
K1-7720
Antoine Buyse
Katharine Fortin
Brianne McGonigle Leyh
Julie Fraser
The Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development
description The rule of law is a central notion in legal thought and in the practice of democratic states. While a contested term, scholars have articulated its contours – both formal and substantive. This includes ideas such as legal certainty, prospectivity, access to justice, and the fact that everyone should be accountable under the law. Much of the scholarship has centred on states and international organisations as the primary entities responsible for protecting the rule of law. By contrast, the relationship between individuals and groups of people in civil society vis-à-vis the rule of law is under-explored in (international) law. This special issue is therefore dedicated to elaborating upon this relationship – the ‘rule of law from below.’ This Introduction sets out the concept and illustrates it with examples of the innovative ways that people are using in practice to support the rule of law from below. While noting that the concept of ‘rule of law from below’ is one under development, we argue that there is much value in investigating instances where actors beyond formal state institutions, who have no constitutional or other formal legal role, take it upon themselves to uphold and defend the rule of law. This is especially important in today’s global context of shifts in power between state and non-state actors, as well as pervasive democratic and rule-of-law backsliding.
format article
author Antoine Buyse
Katharine Fortin
Brianne McGonigle Leyh
Julie Fraser
author_facet Antoine Buyse
Katharine Fortin
Brianne McGonigle Leyh
Julie Fraser
author_sort Antoine Buyse
title The Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development
title_short The Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development
title_full The Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development
title_fullStr The Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development
title_full_unstemmed The Rule of Law from Below – A Concept Under Development
title_sort rule of law from below – a concept under development
publisher Utrecht University School of Law
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/304cd38816084c5bb590def2c374ad35
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