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Can young pups teach an old Dog new tricks? Lessons for British reformers from eastern Europe's new constitutional democracies.

Authors :
Bale, Tim
Kopecky, Petr
Source :
Journal of Legislative Studies; Jun1998, Vol. 4 Issue 2, p149-169, 21p
Publication Year :
1998

Abstract

This article analyses the process of constitutional reforms in eastern Europe and draws lessons for similar reforms in British politics. It looks, first, at electoral engineering and shows how political actors, pursuing their particular interests, try to turn proportionality back into majoritarianism, and how and why such moves do not necessarily result in their projected outcomes. In a similar vein, it then goes on to analyse parliamentary formal rules, such as standing orders, and demonstrates how attempts to manipulate them can be offset, not just by counter‐manipulation, but by underlying informal rules and cultural norms. Overall, we argue that, because constitutional change is an ongoing and crucially political process, its results are neither wholly predictable nor always welcomed. On the basis of the eastern European experience, we also suggest that constitutional change does not necessarily lead to increased legitimacy of the system, thus undermining one of the major hopes of reformers in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
13572334
Volume :
4
Issue :
2
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Journal of Legislative Studies
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
75468855
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/13572339808420558