Alternatives to ‘‘Legalization’’: Richer Views of Law and Politics
Hamza Khan
Abstract
Legalization, according to the authors of "Legalization and World Politics," is the level of accountability, accuracy, and delegation that international organizations have. We contend that this definition is too restrictive. The practice, beliefs, and traditions of civilizations are profoundly ingrained in the law, which is a vast social phenomenon. It is important to pay attention to the validity of law, how it accords with social custom and practice, the function of legal reason, and how adherent people are to legal procedures, including their involvement in their creation. We look at three examples of ''legalization'' that are presented in the collection and demonstrate how a deeper analysis of the function of law in politics might result in ideas that are more intellectually sound and beneficial to empirical study.
