Del i serien Routledge Studies in Asian Law

Legitimacy Trap

Politics, Law and Society in China’s Hong Kong

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

2 889 kr

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The Legitimacy Trap explores the institutional and human costs of state measures to shore up dubious legitimacy. It offers a comprehensive approach to assessing legitimacy and determining on that basis whether a state is in the legitimacy trap, a self-reinforcing spiral toward greater and wider illegitimacy, with the likely endpoint of committed authoritarianism.These propositions are tested against the case study of post-1997 Hong Kong, focusing on political contention and the resulting decline in freedoms during the 2010s. The book revisits key events to show how increasingly authoritarian state practices undermined political legitimacy, compromised legal institutions as they became embroiled in ‘lawfare’, and further legitimised civil society opposition. These events culminated in the 2020 national security law which signalled the end of liberalism in the territory. The book considers the operation of the legitimacy trap across a range of civil, political and legal spheres which offer lessons for other jurisdictions which may be susceptible to democratic backsliding.This book will appeal to readers interested in the intersection of politics, law and society, in human rights under democracy and authoritarianism, and in Hong Kong and China affairs.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-11-09
Mått156 x 234 x undefined mm
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieRoutledge Studies in Asian Law
Antal sidor284
FörlagTaylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN9781041086314

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Brendan Clift is a lecturer in the Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales. He holds a PhD in law from the University of Melbourne, master’s degrees in law and journalism (each with distinction) from the University of Hong Kong, and an arts/law double degree (majoring in history and politics) from Macquarie University. He is admitted to legal practice in Australia. Brendan lived in Hong Kong from 2006 to 2017, working there as a publisher, journalist, lawyer, and university teacher.

Foreword by Professor Sarah BiddulphForeword by James Spigelman AC KCPreface and AcknowledgmentsTable of AbbreviationsTerminology and ReferencingI. Introduction1. The legitimacy trap2. Legitimacy in politics, law and society3. The shaping of China’s Hong Kong4. Legitimacy and crisis in Hong KongII. Dealing with fringe opposition5. Protecting state symbols6. Combating unruly protestIII. Dealing with mainstream opposition7. Constraining peaceful protest8. Curating public discourseIV. Restricting political freedoms9. Regulating conduct in public office10. Limiting access to public officeV. Restricting civil freedoms11. Declaring emergency12. Securitising the stateVI. Conclusions13. Hong Kong’s fate14. Avoiding the legitimacy trapIndex