scholarly journals Designing Institutions and Mechanisms for the Implementation and Enforcement of the Constitution: Changing Perspectives in Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-90
Author(s):  
Charles Manga Fombad
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Constitutional Theory ◽  
Implementation Framework ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Critical Elements ◽  
The Core ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Recent Developments

Until fairly recently, the issue of constitutional implementation has surprisingly received little attention both in constitutional theory and practice. Yet it is a crucial aspect of constitutional effectiveness. Without a carefully thought-out strategy for implementing and enforcing a constitution, its practical effectiveness in promoting constitutionalism, respect for the rule of law, and good governance may be quite limited. The Kenyan 2010 Constitution provides a backdrop against which this article examines certain critical issues in designing institutions and mechanisms for ensuring that a constitution is properly implemented and enforced. The article starts by briefly considering the importance of and challenges in implementing and enforcing constitutions. It then uses the evidence from recent developments in constitution-making to identify some of the core constitutional implementation and enforcement institutions. The article then looks at the Kenyan example which, in Africa, presently provides the best example of a carefully thought-out and well-designed constitutional implementation strategy. Based on this, the article then considers some of the key elements in designing an effective constitutional implementation framework. In concluding, the article argues that incorporating and entrenching effective constitutional implementation mechanisms must be made one of the top priorities in designing constitutions. Furthermore, designing any constitutional institution to oversee, supervise, and monitor the implementation of the constitution must also now be recognised as one of the critical elements for entrenching constitutionalism and respect for the rule of law.

scholarly journals Digital Constitutionalism: Using the Rule of Law to Evaluate the Legitimacy of Governance by Platforms

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630511878781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Suzor
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Contract Law ◽  
Private Governance ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Core ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Relationship

Platforms govern users, and the way that platforms govern matters. In this article, I propose that the legitimacy of governance of users by platforms should be evaluated against the values of the rule of law. In particular, I suggest that we should care deeply about the extent to which private governance is consensual, transparent, equally applied and relatively stable, and fairly enforced. These are the core values of good governance, but are alien to the systems of contract law that currently underpin relationships between platforms and their users. Through an analysis of the contractual Terms of Service of 14 major social media platforms, I show how these values can be applied to evaluate governance, and how poorly platforms perform on these criteria. I argue that the values of the rule of law provide a language to name and work through contested concerns about the relationship between platforms and their users. This is an increasingly urgent task. Finding a way to apply these values to articulate a set of desirable restraints on the exercise of power in the digital age is the key challenge and opportunity of the project of digital constitutionalism.

7. Rule of law

2019 ◽  
pp. 143-163
Author(s):  
Anne Dennett
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Government ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
Core Meaning ◽  
External Measure ◽  
Law Making

This chapter assesses the rule of law. The rule of law is a constitutional value or principle which measures good governance, fair law-making, and applying law in a just way. It acts as a protecting mechanism by preventing state officials from acting unfairly, unlawfully, arbitrarily, or oppressively. These are also key terms in judicial review. The rule of law is also regarded as an external measure for what a state does; if the rule of law breaks down in a state, it will fail to function in an internationally acceptable way. Ultimately, the core meaning of the rule of law is that the law binds everyone. This includes those in government, who must obey the law. Moreover, any action taken by the government must be authorised by law, that is, government needs lawful authority to act.

scholarly journals The Coordinated Development of University Autonomy and Government Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhizhong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Government Intervention ◽  
University Autonomy ◽  
Coordinated Development ◽  
Governance Capacity ◽  
Trust Mechanism ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Core ◽  
Relationship Of

University autonomy and government intervention are a pair of basic contradictions in the external relationship of higher education.  Strategies of the Coordinated Development of University Autonomy and Government Intervention as follow: balance autonomy and intervention under the premise of public justice; establish a multi-centric co-governance with mutual restriction to realize good governance; modernize the governance capacity of universities with the rule of law as the core; build trust mechanism based on social choice by combining self-discipline with heteronomy. Only in this way, can we coordinate the development of university autonomy and government intervention.

8. Rule of law

2021 ◽  
pp. 166-187
Author(s):  
Anne Dennett
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Government ◽  
Key Terms ◽  
Core Meaning ◽  
External Measure ◽  
Law Making

This chapter assesses the rule of law. The rule of law is a constitutional value or principle which measures good governance, fair law-making, and applying law in a just way. It acts as a protecting mechanism by preventing state officials from acting unfairly, unlawfully, arbitrarily, or oppressively. These are also key terms in judicial review. The rule of law is also regarded as an external measure for what a state does; if the rule of law breaks down in a state, it will fail to function in an internationally acceptable way. Ultimately, the core meaning of the rule of law is that the law binds everyone. This includes those in government, who must obey the law. Moreover, any action taken by the government must be authorised by law, that is, government needs lawful authority to act.

DEKADENSI PEMILIHAN HAKIM AGUNG OLEH DPR RI

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-104
Author(s):  
Rustam Magun Pikahulan
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
House Of Representatives ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Institutional Status ◽  
The Government

Abstract: The Plato's conception of the rule of law states that good governance is based on good law. The organization also spreads to the world of Supreme Court justices, the election caused a decadence to the institutional status of the House of Representatives as a people's representative in the government whose implementation was not in line with the decision of the Constitutional Court. Based on the decision of the Constitutional Court No.27/PUU-XI/2013 explains that the House of Representatives no longer has the authority to conduct due diligence and suitability (elect) to prospective Supreme Judges proposed by the Judicial Commission. The House of Representatives can only approve or disapprove candidates for Supreme Court Justices that have been submitted by the Judicial Commission. In addition, the proportion of proposed Supreme Court Justices from the judicial commission to the House of Representatives (DPR) has changed, whereas previously the Judicial Commission had to propose 3 (three) of each vacancy for the Justices, now it is only one of each vacant for Supreme Court Judges. by the Supreme Court. The House of Representatives no longer has the authority to conduct due diligence and suitability (elect) to prospective Supreme Judges proposed by the Judicial Commission. The House of Representatives can only "approve" or "disagree" the Supreme Judge candidates nominated by the Judicial Commission.

Good Governance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk Addink
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
National Level ◽  
Administrative Law ◽  
Modern State ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Third ◽  
Legal Perspective ◽  
Further Development

The pivotal aim of this book is to explain the creation, development, and impact of good governance from a conceptual, principal perspective and in the context of national administrative law. Three lines of reasoning have been worked out: developing the concept of good governance; specification of this concept by developing principles of good governance; and implementation of these principles of good governance on the national level. In this phase of further development of good governance, it is important to have a clear concept of good governance, presented in this book as the third cornerstone of a modern state, alongside the concepts of the rule of law and democracy. That is a rather new national administrative law perspective which is influenced by regional and international legal developments; thus, we can speak about good governance as a multilevel concept. But the question is: how is this concept of good governance further developed? Six principles of good governance (which in a narrower sense also qualify as principles of good administration) have been further specified in a systematic way, from a legal perspective. These are the principles of properness, transparency, participation, effectiveness, accountability, and human rights. Furthermore, the link has been made with integrity standards. The important developments of each of these principles are described on the national level in Europe, but also in countries outside Europe (such as Australia, Canada, and South Africa). This book gives a systematic comparison of the implementation of the principles of good governance between countries.

Rule of Law in India

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harish Narasappa
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Dispute Resolution ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Application Of Law ◽  
Primary Element ◽  
The Status ◽  
Dispute Resolution Mechanism

Rule of law is the foundation of modern democracies. It envisages, inter alia, participatory lawmaking, just and certain laws, a bouquet of human rights, certainty and equality in the application of law, accountability to law, an impartial and non-arbitrary government, and an accessible and fair dispute resolution mechanism. This work’s primary goal is to understand and explain the obvious dichotomy that exists between theory and practice in India’s rule of law structure. The book discusses the contours of the rule of law in India, the values and aspirations in its evolution, and its meaning as understood by the various institutions, identifying reason as the primary element in the rule of law mechanism. It later examines the institutional, political, and social challenges to the concepts of equality and certainty, through which it evaluates the status of the rule of law in India.

The COVID-19 Pandemic, the Courts and Online Hearings: Maintaining Open Justice, Procedural Fairness and Impartiality

2021 ◽  
pp. 0067205X2199313
Author(s):  
Michael Legg
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Procedural Fairness ◽  
Judicial Power ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Adoption Of Technology ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Core

The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing mandated health protections saw courts turn to communications technology as a means to be able to continue to function. However, courts are unique institutions that exercise judicial power in accordance with the rule of law. Even in a pandemic, courts need to function in a manner consistent with their institutional role and their essential characteristics. This article uses the unique circumstances brought about by the pandemic to consider how courts can embrace technology but maintain the core or essential requirements of a court. This article identifies three essential features of courts—open justice, procedural fairness and impartiality—and examines how this recent adoption of technology has maintained or challenged those essential features. This examination allows for an assessment of how the courts operated during the pandemic and also provides guidance for making design decisions about a technology-enabled future court.

The Clinton Administration and Africa: A View from Nairobi, Kenya

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-74
Author(s):  
Korwa G. Adar
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Clinton Administration ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Post Cold War ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Human Rights Movement

There is nothing more fundamental to Africans who are concerned with the future of the African continent than the issues of democracy, human rights, good governance, and the rule of law. These basic human liberties, among other concerns, constitute the central driving force behind what is often referred to as Africa’s “second liberation.” The primary purpose of this article is to assess the Clinton administration’s role in this second liberation, particularly in terms of its involvement in issues of democracy and human rights. This assessment is offered from the perspective of an individual who has been directly involved in the prodemocracy and human rights movement in Kenya. This article focuses on whether the Clinton administration’s policies are still heavily influenced by classic U.S. conceptions of realpolitik, or if enlightened leadership more in line with a neo-Wilsonian idealpolitik—as official rhetoric suggests—has permitted a fundamental departure in favor of a more coherent and tangible democracy and human rights foreign policy stance in the post-Cold War era.

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