The Legacies of Law: Long-Run Consequences of Legal Development in South Africa, 1652–2000

This highly original book examines the function of legal norms and institutions in the transition to - and from - apartheid. It sheds light on the neglected relationship between path dependence and the law. The Legacies of Law demonstrates that legal norms and institutions, even illiberal ones, can have an important - and hitherto undertheorized - structuring effect on democratic transitions. Focusing on South Africa during the period 1650-2000, Jens Meierhenrich finds that under certain conditions, law reduces uncertainty in democratization by invoking common cultural backgrounds and experiences. Synthesizing insights from law, political science, economics, sociology, history, and philosophy, he offers an innovative "redescription" of both apartheid and apartheid's endgame. The Legacies of Law demonstrates that in instances in which interacting adversaries share qua law reasonably convergent mental models, transitions from authoritarian rule are less intractable. Meierhenrich's carefu