POLITICAL CONSTITUTIONALISM, DEMOCRACY AND THE ROLE OF COURTS.

Main Article Content

Nikolai Olchanowski

Abstract

Richard Bellamys idea of a political constitutionalism is essentially based upon the critical analysis of legal constitutionalism, namely the traditional idea in constitutional theory that democracy  should  be  restricted  by  the  principles  and  conditions  relating  to  political interaction. As Bellamy inserts concepts like the rule of law, rights prediction and judicial review  under  the  scrutiny  of  the  circumstances  of  politics,  he  states  that  legal constitutionalism is in fact hostile to the democratic ideal of self-government. This idea can be read through the lens of works in political science, which also put into question the idea that the rule of law is supported by a distinctive character of laws and courts. The rule of law, under  this  view,  is  only  guaranteed  through  appropriate  distribution  of  incentives  to individuals and through the distribution of political power between institutions. Bellamy, however, seems to ignore the possibility that laws and constitutional provisions play an important role in solving collective action problems, a role that, surprisingly, would be able to give  back  importance  to  the  traditional  legal  constitutionalism.  Bellamys  work  is ultimately relevant to show that without fostering political participation and a fair distribution of influence power to individuals the constitutional provisions and the role of the courts can be worthless or even hostile to democracy building.

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How to Cite
OLCHANOWSKI, Nikolai. POLITICAL CONSTITUTIONALISM, DEMOCRACY AND THE ROLE OF COURTS. Revista de Teorias da Democracia e Direitos Políticos, Florianopolis, Brasil, v. 1, n. 1, p. 237–253, 2015. DOI: 10.26668/IndexLawJournals/2525-9660/2015.v1i1.753. Disponível em: https://indexlaw.org/index.php/revistateoriasdemocracia/article/view/753. Acesso em: 22 dec. 2024.
Section
Artigos
Author Biography

Nikolai Olchanowski, Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Paraná (TJPR)

Mestrando em Direito pela Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR)

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