Crafting Courts in New Democracies

Matthew C. Ingram (J.D., Ph.D., University of New Mexico) is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, and the Fulbright Program. Before entering academia, Professor Ingram worked in law enforcement in California.

• 1. Crafting courts in new democracies; Part I. Theory and Methods: 2. Ideas, interests, and judicial institutions; 3. Methods; Part II. Empirical Analysis: 4. Large-N analysis in Mexico (1993–2007); 5. Large-N analysis in Brazil (1985–2006); 6. Small-N analysis in Mexico: Aguascalientes, Michoacán, and Hidalgo; 7. Small-N Analysis in Brazil: Acre, Rio Grande do Sul, and Maranhão; Part III. Conclusion: 8. Crafting courts in new democracies: beyond Brazil and Mexico; Appendices.

'Addressing critical questions about the most promising pathways to the establishment of honest and effective judicial systems in post-authoritarian Latin America, Ingram's rigorous, meticulously calibrated study shows that normative beliefs and commitments matter. In a discipline in which many assume ab initio that the only causal forces in politics are power and interest, Ingram scientifically demonstrates that the ideals and convictions of key actors concerning fairness, impartial justice, and the rule of law can have salubrious real-world effects that can potentially overcome retrograde political and material interests. This impressive contribution to the burgeoning 'court-building' literature counsels that, when it comes [to] establishing free, democratic institutions under the rule of law, we should care about the ideational commitments of their leaders, staffers, and supporters - about what they believe, how they think, and who they are.' Ken Kersch, Boston College, Massachusetts