This comprehensive book compares the intersection of political forces and legal practices in five industrial nations--the United States, England, France, Germany, and Japan. The authors, eminent political scientists and legal scholars, investigate how constitutional courts function in each country, how the adjudication of criminal justice and the processing of civil disputes connect legal systems to politics, and how both ordinary citizens and large corporations use the courts.
For each of the five countries, the authors discuss the structure of courts and access to them, the manner in...

The apparent authenticity of published data can be as dangerous as it is inviting. This guide points out the main dangers (sampling errors, measurement errors, and invalid or unreliable procedures) and analyzes the various ways in which these problems arise -- giving numerous examples. Jacob discusses ways to solve these problems, and when no solutions seem available, he suggests appropriate disclaimers. An appendix critically evaluates several useful data sets. This monograph also serves as a general reference volume on how to avoid the pitfalls that researchers often overlook. 'Its subject...