Handbook on judicial politics

This book is an attempt to clarify some issues related to judicial reforms. It is designed as a basic introduction to this complex field of inquiry addressed to political and social scientists, sociologists, legal scholars, students, journalists, policy makers and ordinary citizens interested not only in understanding more about judicial reforms but also in placing these domestic issues in a comparative perspective. The book does not cover domestic case studies, but principles and issues at stake clarified by scholars with a vast experience in the field. Our aim is not only to clarify the main terms used in the debates related to these reforms by judicial or political actors and journalists, but also to replace them in a comparative perspective. The comparative perspective is not the method on which this book is based, but it is used by some of the contributors in order to illustrate the transnational character of some issues, the various meanings attributed to the same principles and the difficulties some countries have faced after the implementation of some reforms.