Courts and Political Institutions

The frontier between "law" and "politics" is not always clear-cut. Although courts are allowed to function broadly, governments and parliaments can also make independent decisions. Tim Koopmans compares the way American, British, French and German law and politics handle different issues. For example, highly "political" subjects in one country may constitute legal issues in another. Koopmans considers case law in a range of issues, including human rights protection, federalism, separation of powers, and the impact of European and international law.
Considers the relation between law and politics, including human rights, federalism and equal protection.
"Courts and Political Institutions provides an excellent introduction to comparative constitutional law and comparative judicial decision-making...Koopmans goes beyond merely describing how different political and constitutional systems work; he provides an analytical framework for future research, as well as substantive issues for further inquiry." Law and Politics Book Review