This classification of legal powers describes their analysis in this chapter, examining how they can protect everyone and adapt to change.
Previous sections have defined the elements of the legal system and set it in the context of other forms of power. The analysis continues in the following segments:
(5.2) The individual elements of a legal system are examined: the nature of laws, how they are made and enforced, the legislature, the judiciary, and the separation of powers between government and the law.
(5.3) The subsidiarity of the legal system is examined, including national laws with regional variations, multinational legal systems such as the EU, and the role of the United Nations in international law. Some contentious items are included: the role of religious law, the operation of law across national boundaries, and national compliance with international law. International law has been weakened in recent years as it has been ignored by some of the major powers.
(5.4) Laws need to adapt to social change. Although changes in legislation are possible, there is some latitude for interpretation within existing laws. Laws become unsustainable, though, if too many people find them unacceptable. Human rights law can provide an essential baseline definition of the protection that every individual is entitled to, but the value of the law in protecting people can be diminished by political abuses.
At this point, readers who are just seeking an overview of this book’s contents may wish to move to the next chapter (6). Alternatively, they may wish to go directly to a particular segment by following the above links or continue to read sequentially.
(This is an archive of a page intended to form part of Edition 4 of the Patterns of Power series of books. The latest versions are at book contents).