Bulletin n. 2/2010
October 2010
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea

    • in Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 10, Number 3, Sep.-Dec. ,  2010
    Indonesia’s Constitutional Court has played a significant role in that country’s transformation from a violent-prone polity into Southeast Asia’s most stable democracy. The Court has advanced institutional conflict resolution mechanisms and expanded democratic rights—two achievements identified by Linz and Stepan as major indicators of a consolidating democracy. Building on models developed by Ginsburg and Horowitz, I also illustrates why the Court has been able to defend its autonomy and become an agent of democratization. While sharing Ginsburg’s emphasis on high levels of power diffusion as a key reason for the Court’s success, this article moves beyond such an approach. Most importantly, it suggests that the judges’ “judicial activism”—as expressed in a number of controversial but popular decisions—increased Indonesian society’s support for the Court to such an extent that is has now become largely invulnerable to attempts of external intervention.
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