Book salon: Limits of Judicialization

Daniel Brinks (University of Texas) discusses his book The Limits of Judicialization with Siri Gloppen and UiB Law and Politics students.

About the book:

Latin America was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of what has come to be known as the judicialization of politics – the use of law and legal institutions as tools of social contestation to curb the abuse of power in government, resolve policy disputes, and enforce and expand civil, political, and socioeconomic rights. Almost forty years into this experiment, The Limits of Judicialization brings together a cross-disciplinary group of scholars to assess the role that law and courts play in Latin American politics. Featuring studies of hot-button topics including abortion, state violence, judicial corruption, and corruption prosecutions, this volume argues that the institutional and cultural changes that empowered courts – the “judicialization superstructure” – often fall short of the promise of greater accountability and rights protection. Illustrative and expansive, this volume offers a truly interdisciplinary analysis of the limits of judicialized politics.

The book salon is part of the UiB course Constitutions, Courts and Politics. It is open to anyone interested.