ESIL Interest Group History of International Law

ESIL Interest Group History of International Law

Monday 27 May 2019

BOOK: Alexander ORAKHELASHVILI, Domesticating Kelsen: Towards the Pure Theory of English Law (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019). ISBN 9781788111416, £67.50



Edward Elgar is publishing a new book on Hals Kelsen’s theories and English law.

ABOUT THE BOOK

There exists a genuine degree of scepticism as to whether Hans Kelsen’s pure theory of law can rationalise the intricacies of the English legal system. This groundbreaking book examines pertinent aspects of English law relating to constitutional patterns of law-making, the relationship between law and policy, and the ultimate efficacy of the legal order, through the pure theory’s prism.

This insightful book demonstrates that Kelsen’s theory is highly suitable to examine some of these issues, and in some aspects of English law it actually possesses the analytical cutting edge. Beginning with an overview of the outlook and methodology of the pure theory of law and placing it within the broader focus of positive scholarship, Orakhelashvili moves on to offer a description of the relationship between methods of the legal theory and the workings of a legal system, along with assessments of the relationship between law and policy in legal theory and in judicial practice, and of criticisms of the pure theory.

Thoughtful and perceptive, this book will be valuable reading for legal scholars, social scientists, judges, practicing lawyers, legal historians, political scientists, and law students.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin YL Tan is a leading scholar of Singapore's constitution and has written and edited over 30 books on the law, politics and history of Singapore. He is currently Adjunct Professor at both the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore and the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. He is also Executive Editor of the Asian Journal of Comparative Law and Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Yearbook of International Law.
Bui Ngoc Son is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents: 1. The Essence and Basic Methods of the Pure Theory 2. The State and the Law 3. Law and its “Others”: Natural Law, Morality and Social Policy 4. Constitution and Normative Hierarchy 5. The Basic Norm and Efficacy of the Legal System 6. The Rule of Law Conclusion Index
More information here

(source: ESCLH Blog)