Governance, courts and politics in Asia
Abstract
It is widely argued that an empowered judiciary aupporta better governance by strengthening the rule of law and helping to make government more accountable and atable, but how aolidly that reasoning ia baaed IT fact haa not been carefully analysed. Aa recent eventa IT Aaia illuatrate, apparently aimilar conatitutional choicea about courta can have very different effecta on political life and ultimately governance. To addreaa the relative lack of empirical obaervation and more cloaely inveatigate the neuua between courta and governance, thia article firat preaenta a baaic typology of judicialpolitica and then appliea it to Thailand, Singapore, Korea and Japan. The intent ia to: (1) provide a much-needed and more nuanced view of the unfolding judicialiaatioT phenomenon; and (2) urge cloaer attention to how apecific patterna of judicial behaviour in Aaia relate to dimenaiona of governance. The atudy thua offera an opportunity to illuminate larger iaauea at the interaection of judicial engagement and political governance and to advance a theoretical under-atanding of both.