Legacies Law Long-run Consequences Legal Development South Africa… 9780521898737

The Legacies of LawLong-Run Consequences of Legal Development in South Africa, 16522000\nAuthor(s): Jens Meierhenrich\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521898737, 978-0521898737\nSynopsis\nFocusing on South Africa during the period [tel], this book examines the role of law in making democracy work in changing societies. The Legacies of Law sheds light on the neglected relationship between path dependence and the law. Meierhenrich argues that legal norms and institutions, even illiberal ones, have an important - and hitherto undertheorized - structuring effect on democratic outcomes. Under certain conditions, law appears to reduce uncertainty in democratization by invoking common cultural backgrounds and experiences. In instances where interacting adversaries share qua law reasonably convergent mental models, transitions from authoritarian rule are shown to be less intractable. Meierhenrich's his.