The Rule of Law for Everyone?

Abstract:     
The rule of law is the most prominent legitimating slogan of government in the world today, espoused my many leaders (and dissidents) in countries around the world, Western and Non-Western. However, there is no agreement on what it means, and there has been little success in establishing it where it does not already exist.

This article considers these issues from a historical perspective, by distinguishing a pre-liberal version of the rule of law from a liberal version of the rule of law. This distinction is then applied to clarify some of the basic issues surrounding the application and implementation of the rule of law.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 33

working papers series