Independent authorities have a number of advantages compared to politically dependent institutions, namely because of their superior specific qualification and performace, long-run incentive structure, influence of interest groups being less effective, and other reasons. Concerns are often...

Das Papier zeigt zunächst mögliche Gründe und Ursachen für die Errichtung und die Bewahrung unabhängiger Institutionen in demokratischen Rechtsstaaten auf. Danach werden formelle und behavioralistische Kriterien benannt, anhand derer der Grad der Unabhängigkeit auf einem Kontinuum zwischen...

In this working paper, we treat legitimacy and legitimation as interactive, discursive and relational concepts: Legitimacy is socially constructed in the public spheres of (democratic) political regimes, that is, in discursive exchanges of political elites and citizens about the acceptability of...

To understand Iceland's political situation, it is necessary to consider the historical background to the post-crash constitutional revision process launched in 2009. Also, the paper offers a brief account of some aspects of the constitution-making process during 2010-2013, including the work of...