This edited volume presents the comprehensive review of the work on developing assessment frameworks for democratic parliaments. The book identifies areas of internationally agreed consensus among the current sets of standards and principles, and areas of potential further consensus by examining national case studies and drawing a first set of lessons of experience. Additionally, it brings in regional perspectives on standards for democratic parliaments. Since parliaments are just beginning to test or apply the different frameworks many will need assistance from partners in the parliamentary strengthening and donor community to take such an exercise forward. Therefore, there is a need for broader understanding on principles behind different benchmarks, to discuss the relevance of each type of benchmark framework to specific regional and national context, and to determine how Parliaments would benefit from changes that would allow them to meet the benchmark.

One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2019 One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2019 Shortlisted for the Lionel Gelber Prize 'As enjoyable as it is thought-provoking' Jared Diamond By the authors of the international bestseller Why Nations Fail, based on decades of research, this powerful new big-picture framework explains how some countries develop towards and provide liberty while others fall to despotism, anarchy or asphyxiating norms - and explains how liberty can thrive despite new threats. Liberty is hardly the 'natural' order of things; usually states have been either too weak to protect individuals or too strong for people to protect themselves from despotism. There is also a happy Western myth that where liberty exists, it's a steady state, arrived at by 'enlightenment'. But liberty emerges only when a delicate and incessant balance is struck between state and society - between elites and citizens. This struggle becomes self-reinforcing, inducing both state and society to develop a richer array of capacities, thus affecting the peacefulness of societies, the success of economies and how people experience their daily lives. Explaining this new framework through compelling stories from around the world, in history and from today - and through a single diagram on which the development of any state can be plotted - this masterpiece helps us understand the past and present, and analyse the future. 'In this highly original and gratifying fresco, Daron Acemoglu and Jim Robinson take us on a journey through civilizations, time and locations. Their narrow corridor depicts the constant and often unstable struggle of society to keep the Leviathan in check and of the Leviathan to weaken the cage of norms. A remarkable achievement that only they could pull off and that seems destined to repeat the stellar performance of Why Nations Fail' Jean Tirole, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2014 'Another outstanding, insightful book by Acemoglu and Robinson on the importance and difficulty of getting and maintaining a successful democratic state. Packed with examples and analysis, it is a pleasure to read' Peter Diamond, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2010 'The Narrow Corridor takes us on a fascinating journey, across continents and through human history, to discover the critical ingredient of liberty. It finds that it's up to each of us: that ingredient is our own commitments, as citizens, to support democratic values. In these times, there can be no more important message - nor any more important book' George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001 'How should we view the current challenges facing our democracies? This brilliant, timely book offers a simple, powerful framework for assessing alternative forms of social governance. The analysis is a reminder that it takes vigilance to maintain a proper balance between the state and society - to stay in the 'narrow corridor' - and avoid falling either into statelessness or dictatorship' Bengt Holmstrom, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2016

Why do judges study legal sources that originated outside their own national legal system, and how do they use arguments from these sources in deciding domestic cases? Based on interviews with judges, this book presents the inside story of how judges engage with international and comparative law in the highest courts of the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, France and the Netherlands. A comparative analysis of the views and experiences of the judges clarifies how the decision-making of these Western courts has developed in light of the internationalisation of law and the increased opportunities for transnational judicial communication. While the qualitative analysis reveals the motives that judges claim for using foreign law and the influence of 'globalist' and 'localist' approaches to judging, the author also finds suggestions of a convergence of practices between the courts that are the subject of this study. This empirical analysis is complemented by a constitutional-theoretical inquiry into the procedural and substantive factors of legal evolution, which enable or constrain the development and possible convergence of highest courts' practices. The two strands of the analysis are connected in a final contextual reflection on the future development of the role of Western highest courts.

Legal Naturalism advances a clear and convincing case that Marx's theory of law is a form of natural law jurisprudence. It explicates both Marx's writings and the idea of natural law, and makes a forceful contribution to current debates on the foundations of law. Olufemi Taiwo argues that embedded in the corpus of Marxist writing is a plausible, adequate, and coherent legal theory. He describes Marx's general concept of law, which he calls "legal naturalism." For Marxism, natural law isn't a permanent verity; it refers to the basic law of a given epoch or social formation which is an essential aspect of its mode of production. Capitalist law is thus natural law in a capitalist society and is politically and morally progressive relative to the laws of preceding social formations. Taiwo emphasizes that these formations are dialectical or dynamic, not merely static, so that the law which is naturally appropriate to a capitalist economy will embody tensions and contradictions that replicate the underlying conflicts of that economy. In addition, he discusses the enactment and reform of "positive law"-law established by government institutions-in a Marxian framework.

We live in a system explicitly designed to steal from every U.S. citizen every minute of every day Know Stealing dispels preconceived notions about the root causes of our nation's problems, replacing them with essential, clear and precise knowledge capable of driving restoration in our American Republic. Building upon fifteen years of research, this breakthrough expos provides the solutions that will enable us, as ordinary citizens, to reclaim individual Life, Liberty, Property, and Prosperity, all founded a policy of NO stealing. We can no longer afford the lies and deception that are eroding our national economy and our freedoms. Armed with knowledge and the tools necessary to restore our nation, together we can change the course of history. A few words which have been used to describe Know Stealing: Must-Read. Simple To Understand. Scholarly. #1 to Gift. Original Research. Methodically Corrects Dangerous Error. Disperses Complexity. Challenging. Concise and Astute Brilliance. Desperately Needed. Revolutionizes One's Worldview. Transformational.

In the aftermath of World War II, virtually all European countries struggled with the dilemma of citizens who had collaborated with Nazi occupiers. Jewish communities in particular faced the difficult task of confronting collaborators among their own ranks-those who had served on Jewish councils, worked as ghetto police, or acted as informants. European Jews established their own tribunals-honor courts-for dealing with these crimes, while Israel held dozens of court cases against alleged collaborators under a law passed two years after its founding. In Jewish Honor Courts: Revenge, Retribution, and Reconciliation in Europe and Israel after the Holocaust, editors Laura Jockusch and Gabriel N. Finder bring together scholars of Jewish social, cultural, political, and legal history to examine this little-studied and fascinating postwar chapter of Jewish history. The volume begins by presenting the rationale for punishing wartime collaborators and purging them from Jewish society. Contributors go on to examine specific honor court cases in Allied-occupied Germany and Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, and France. One essay also considers the absence of an honor court in Belgium. Additional chapters detail the process by which collaborators were accused and brought to trial, the treatment of women in honor courts, and the unique political and social place of honor courts in the nascent state of Israel. Taken as a whole, the essays in Jewish Honor Courts illustrate the great caution and integrity brought to the agonizing task of identifying and punishing collaborators, a process that helped survivors to reclaim their agency, reassert their dignity, and work through their traumatic experiences. For many years, the honor courts have been viewed as a taboo subject, leaving their hundreds of cases unstudied. Jewish Honor Courts uncovers this forgotten chapter of Jewish history and shows it to be an integral part of postwar Jewish rebuilding. Scholars of Jewish, European, and Israeli history as well as readers interested in issues of legal and social justice will be grateful for this detailed volume.

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Annual: Global Perspectives (CJLE) is a peer-reviewed annual publishing current interdisciplinary research on a wide array of vital international subjects related to criminal justice systems. We seek to publish: broad creative analyses of criminal justice systems or system components; articles and treatises on power, social theory, and the apparatuses of crime and punishment; comparative examinations; explorations of the intersection/s between criminal justice systems and other social, political, or economic structures; interdisciplinary and paradigm-challenging new work. Articles in CJLE take advantage of the broader perspective that annual publication provides by tackling large interpretative questions, offering synthetic analyses of major methodologies, or considering new theoretical approaches to criminal justice studies in the widest and most international sense.

China's explosive transformation from a planned economy to a more market-oriented one over the past three decades owes much to the charismatic reformer Zhu Rongji. As China's premier from 1998 to 2003, Zhu displayed a pragmatism and strong work ethic that have been key forces in China's drive to greater modernization and global stature. During this time, Zhu embarked on a plan to reduce the size of government and reform the heavily indebted banking system and state-owned enterprises as well as to overhaul the housing and health care systems. His sweeping efforts ranged from lobbying for the establishment of stock exchanges to revitalizing agriculture through the introduction of a modern grain market. The ramifications of these reforms are still being felt throughout China and the globe, and The Road to Reformprovides a real-time look at these plans as they were being formulated during the 1990s to the early 2000s. The second of a two-volume collection containing more than 100 speeches and personal papers by Zhu, this volume is a revealing and insightful look at Zhu's thinking and will lead to greater understanding of one of the world's two largest economic powers.

Brad's passion for nursing home abuse cases stems from a personal tragedy that happened to a member of his family. Brad's goal in his work and for this book is to prevent the same type of tragedy from happening to others.

IN THIS GAME-CHANGING BOOK BY DAVIS NELSON, GEORGIA VA BENEFITS & MEDICAID PLANNING ATTORNEY, YOU'LL DISCOVER: How VA benefits can make it possible to remain at home rather than enter a nursing home Why VA benefits can be better than Medicaid for some veteran households How the VA can help cover assisted living costs How to make VA benefits and Medicaid work together to better your quality of life Why you should apply for your VA assistance as early as possible How children of veterans can use VA benefits to preserve an inheritance while improving their parents' lives Why more than 95% of potentially eligible veterans aren't aware of this benefit

The idea of a Restatement is to identify common principles or trends in a particular area of law with the objective of unifying the further development of the law. No other area of law in Nigeria is in need of Restatement as much as Nigeria's customary law. A number of reasons inform this position: (i) the cultural diversity of the country has meant that customary practices differ in so many respects on the same issue; (ii) the oral tradition of the customary system has placed it in the 'endangered species' list; (iii) the paucity of authoritative works on customary law has created a yawning gap for the scholarship in this vital area of law; and (iv) no matter however ignored, customary law continues to play a very significant role in moderating the Nigerian values system in society. Carried out by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies this project brings to an end four years of a massive research undertaking involving desk review; field research covering four geo-political zones in Nigeria; collation and analysis of field research findings; testing of field research findings in a stakeholders consultative conference; further desk review to fill in gaps in the literature; and the core restatement work by a select committee of Reporters.

A prolific writer and orator as well as legal expert in Iranian civil law, Hassan Sadr offers a fresh perspective of woman's basic rights on social issues. The book, first published as his thesis in 1940 titled as "The Rights of Woman according to Islam and in Europe." The concepts discussed in the book, however, reflect a progressive and harmonious approach towards integration of moral principles and civil laws. Specifically he believes that woman's rights must be embedded in the psychic of society, social custom and habit; in short a way of life. He constructs a healthy and peaceful society on the premise that its foundation is based on recognition and respect for status of woman who is instrumental in delivering quality family members. By fully participating in family leadership she creates a new generation of youth that is properly nourished, nurtured, trained and taught from the time of birth. In effect the mother instills the sense of protection of the rights of woman in her child, as the fundamental premise in safeguarding the woman's basic rights in a civil society. This book presents a series of logical steps towards forming healthy family whose goal is to maintain quality membership. In summary, the women whose rights must be fully protected are also full participants of ensuring the quality of society they help to create.