Download or read book Civil Society, Constitution, and Legitimacy written by Andrew Arato and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2000-04-19 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spurred by recent governmental transitions from dictatorships to democratic institutions, this highly original work argues that negotiated civil society-oriented transitions have an affinity for a distinctive method of constitution making_one that accomplishes the radical change of institutions through legal continuity. Arato presents a compelling argument that this is the preferred method for rapidly establishing viable democratic institutions, and he contrasts the negotiated model with radical revolutionary change. This exceptionally engaging work will be of interest to students and scholars of comparative politics, constitutional law, and East European studies, as well as to political scientists and sociologists.