"Legislative Inflation" - An analysis of the Phenomenon in Contemporary Legal Discourse

• Authors: Dace Šulmane
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The article analyses the phenomenon of legislative inflation from three perspectives: historical, legal and political. The term "legislative inflation" is widely used by various European legal and political scientists and means an increase in the amount of legal norms. Issuing a considerable number of new legal norms consequently raises the question about the balance between the quality and quantity of the work of the legislator(s). There are three relatively similar, yet essentially different terms: "effectiveness, efficacy and efficiency" of laws, each of which should be considered and evaluated by legislators. Legislative inflation, if not adequately perceived, can lead to legal nihilism - a phenomenon mostly attributed to Russian and post-Soviet societies, but by substance an acute problem in all Western societies.

Keywords

EN

Legislative inflation; European legal development; symbolic laws; effectiveness of law; legal nihilism

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Baltic Journal of Law & Politics
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 78-101

Dates

published

2011-01-01

online

2012-01-27

Contributors

author

Dace Šulmane

• Faculty of Law, University of Latvia, Latvia

References

• Allot, Antony. The Limits of Law. London: Butterworths, 1980.
• Apse, Diāna. "Kazuistikas nozīme Latvijas tiesību teorijā un vēsturē" (The Meaning of Casuistics in Latvian Legal Theory and History). Likums un Tiesības (Law and Justice) 10, Nr. 6 (106) (2008): 177-189.
• Bardins, Gatis. "Dialogue as Precondition for Application of Living Law in Courts." In: Maciej Mikuła, Władysław Pęksa, Kamil Stolarski, eds. Possessio ac iura in re - History of the Real Law. Kraków: Jagiellonian University Press, 2012 [to be published].
• Berman, Harold. Zapadnaja tradicija prava, epoha formirovanija (Law and Revolution: the Formation of the Western Legal Tradition). Moskva; Infra-Norma, 1998 [in Russian].
• Caenegem, Raoul Van. An Historical Introduction to Private Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
• Carbonnier, Jean. Droit et passion du droit sous la Ve République (Law and Passion for Law in the 5th Republic). Paris: Flammarion, 1996.
• Carbonnier, Jean. Essays sur les lois (Essays about Law). 2e ed. Paris: Répertoire du Notariat Defrènois, 1995.
• Cotterrell, Roger. The Sociology of Law. An Introduction. London: Butterworths, 1992.
• European Commission. Better regulation strategy //
• Everling, Ulrich. "On the Judge-Made Law of the European Community's Courts": 29-44. In: Judicial Review in European Union Law. The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 2000.
• Frison-Roche, Marie-Anne. "L'amour intéressé des lois particulières (Analyse sociologique du droit économique)" (Love interested in particular laws (Sociological analysis of economical laws)): 341-360. In: Josiane de Boulad-Ayoub and Bjarne Melkevik, dir. L'amour des lois: la crise de la loi moderne dans les societes democratiques (Love for laws: crisis of modern law in democratic societies). Québec: L'Harmattan, Les Presses de l'Universite Laval, 1996.
• Hertogh, Marc. "A "European" Conception of Legal Consciousness: Rediscovering Eugen Ehrlich." Journal of Law and Society Vol. 31, No. 4 (2004): 457-481.
• Horn, Norbert. Einführung in die Rechtswissenschaft und Rechtsphilosophie. (Introduction to Law and Legal Philosophy). 4 neu bearb. Aufl. Heidelberg: Müller, 2007.
• Ivanova, Evgenia M. Legal Nihilism as Social and Discursive Practice: the Case of Belarus. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller e.K., 2010.
• Jakubanecs, Voldis. Tiesiskā apziņa (Legal Consciousness). Rīga: Latvijas Policijas Akadēmija, 2001.
• Jhering, Rudolf von. Der Zweck im Recht (Law as a Means to an End). Leipzing: Druck und Verlag von Breitkopf und Härtel, 1904.
• Judgment of 17 November 2010 of the Senate Department of Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia. Case SKA-890/2010.
• Kern, Fritz. "Approach to Law: Medieval and Modern": 105-110. In: Volkmar Gessner, Armin Hoeland, and Csaba Varga, eds. European Legal Cultures. Cambridge: Dartmouth, 1996.
• Kvaste, Santa. "Kā likumīgi izvairīties no "dienesta auto" nodokļa?" (How Legally to Avoid the "Company Car Tax?). Apollo.lv (December 30, 2010) // http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/latvija/298409-ka_likumigi_izvairities_no_dienesta_auto_nodokla (accessed October 1, 2011).
• Latvian Publishers' Association. "Argumenti PVN atvieglotās likmes saglabāšanai" (Arguments for Preserving the Reduced VAT Rate). 2011 [unpublished].
• Lesaffer, Randall. European Legal History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
• Levy-Bruhl, Henry. Sociologie du droit (Sociology of Law). 6th edn. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1961.
• Malko, Aleksandr Vasiljevich. "Populism i pravo" (Populism and Law). Pravovedenije (Science of Law) 1 (1994): 3-11 [in Russian].
• Marton, Dunai. "Thousands Protest over Hungary Constitution Change" (April 15, 2011) //
• Matuzov, Nikolai Ignatievich. "Pravovoi nigilism I pravovoi idealism kak dve storoni odnoi medali" (Legal Nihilism and Legal Idealism as Two Sides of the Same Medal). Pravovedenije (Science of Law) 2 (1994): 25-29 [in Russian].
• Nisbet, Robert. Twilight of Authority. New York: Oxford University Press, 1975.
• Novgorodcev, Pavel Ivaanovich. "Istoriceskaja skola juristov. Ejo proishozdenije i sudba" (Historical School of Law. Its Origins and Destiny) (1896): 1-226. In: Nemeckaja istoriceskaja skola prava (German Historical School of Law). Celyabinsk: Socium, 2010 [in Russian].
• Osipova, Sanita, and Ieva Roze. "Tiesiskā nihilisma saknes Latvijā" (The Sources of Legal Nihilism in Latvia): 40-59. In: Drošība un tiesiskums Latvijā (Security and Rule of Law in Latvia). Rīga: Latvijas Universitātes Filozofijas un socioloǵijas institūts, 2007.
• Osipova, Sanita. Ievads tiesību socioloǵijā (Introduction to Sociology of Law). Rīga: Tiesu namu aǵentūra, 2010.
• Parmentier, Stephan, and Jean Van Houte. Law, Justice and Social Change in the 21st Century: The Case of Belgium. Bruxelles: King Baudouin Foundation, 2007 // http://www.kbs-frb.be/uploadedFiles/KBS-FRB/Files/EN/PUB_1311_Law_Justice_Social_change.pdf (accessed October 1, 2011).
• Rangeon, François. "Réflections sur l'effectivité du droit" (Reflections on the Effectiveness of Law): 126 - 49. In: Les usages sociaux du droit (The Social Uses of Law). Paris: PUF, 1989.
• Rehbinder, Manfred. Rechtssoziologie (Sociology of Law). 4 Auflage. München: C.H. Beck, 2000.
• Sassier, Philippe, and Dominique Lansoy. Ubu loi. Summary of the Book. France: Fayard, 2008 // http://www.decitre.fr/livres/Ubu-loi.aspx/9782213636184 (accessed October 1, 2011).
• Sheeter, Laura. "Latvia Cements Gay Marriage Ban." BBC News (December 15, 2005) // http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531560.stm (accessed October 1, 2011).
• Teubner, Gunther. Juridification of Social Spheres: A Comparative Analysis in the Areas of Labor, Corporate, Antitrust, and Social Welfare Law. Berlin; New York: De Gruyter, 1987.
• Thornton, Mike. "Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure." Policy Analysis 157 (1991) [Cato Institute] // http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1017 (accessed October 1, 2011).
• Tumanov, Vladimir Aleksandrovich. "Pravovoi nigilism v istoriko-ideologiceskom rakurse" (Legal Nihilism in Historical-ideological Aspects). Gosudarstvo i Pravo (State and Law) 8 (1993): 52-58 [in Russian].
• Uusitalo, Liisa. "Efficiency and Legitimation: Criteria for the Evaluation of Norms." Ratio Juris 2 (2) (1989): 194-201.
• Varlamova, Natalja Vladimirovna. "Pravovoi nigilism: prosloje, nastojascee… i budusceje Rosiji?" (Legal Nihilism: past, present… and future of Russian?). Konstitucionnoje pravo: vostocnoevropeiskoje obozrenije 1 (30) (2000): 90-93 [in Russian].
• Vyhláška ze dne 11. července 2006, kterou se stanoví požadavky na teploměry používané ke stanovení spalného tepla pro bilanční měření. 379/2006 Sb. Ministerstvo průmyslu a obchodu (Regulation from 11th July 2006, on Laying down Requirements for Thermometers Used to Determine the Calorific Value Measurement for Assets. 379/2006 Sb. Ministry of Industry and Trade). Czech Republic.
• Westerman, Pauline. "The Emergence of New Types of Norms". In: Jean Luc Wintgens, ed. Legislation in Context: Essays in Legisprudence. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007.
• Wintgens, Luc Jean. Legisprudence: A New Theoretical Approach to Legislation. Oxford-Portland: Hart Publishing, 2002.
• Youth Law (Jaunatnes likums). Latvijas Vēstnesis ["Latvian Herald", Official Publisher], 2008, 82 (3866) [law adopted by the Latvian Parliament (Saeima) on May 8, 2008].
• Zamboni, Mauro. "The "Social" in Social Law - An Analysis of a Concept in Disguise." Stockholm Institute for Scandinavian Law 1957-2010 (2007): 513-539 // http://www.scandinavianlaw.se/pdf/50-33.pdf (accessed October 1, 2011).

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/v10076-011-0013-4