How should judges respond to executive overreach, lack of resources, external pressure, and other attempts at undermining their authority? This account of our roundtable Courts Under Stress explores these and other pressure points on today’s courts from an international perspective.
Is judicial resistance appropriate or necessary to check democratic backsliding? Is judicial populism always uncalled for? Can (and should) judges attempt to influence public opinion of the judiciary? This account summarises the key points covered in our recent roundtable, Courts Under Scrutiny: Judges and Democracy.
From the Panama Papers to the Dubai Leaks, journalism in Pakistan has repeatedly exposed elite corruption—yet systemic change has remained elusive. In this research paper, Natasha Matloob explores how Pakistan’s hybrid constitutional order limits the effectiveness of accountability journalism and consequently erodes citizens’ confidence in the constitution.
Book reviews from Dr Sarah Nason at Bangor University and Professor Francesco Bilancia at Sapienza, University of Rome
This article examines the reasons behind the challenge of democracy in Africa and the sources of democratic potential in the continent. In addition, it conducts a mapping of democracy in the region in terms of constitutional endurance and implementation.
Democracies struggle when deep internal divisions or cleavages exist within their societies. This is also seen in the Ukraine case.