This highly original book examines the function of legal norms and institutions in the transition to and from apartheid. It sheds light on the neglected relationship between path dependence and the law. The Legacies of Law demonstrates that legal norms and institutions, even illiberal ones, can have an important and hitherto undertheorized structuring effect on democratic transitions.
Focusing on South Africa during the period 1650 2000, Jens Meierhenrich finds that under certain conditions, law reduces uncertainty in democratization by invoking common cultural backgrounds and...