The European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) has been relatively neglected in the field of normative human rights theory. This book aims to bridge the gap between human rights theory and the practice of the ECHR. In order to do so, it tests the two overarching approaches in human rights theory literature: the ethical and the political, against the practice of the ECHR 'system'. The book also addresses the history of the ECHR and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as an international legal and political institution.

The book offers a democratic defence of the authority of the ECtHR. It illustrates how a conception of democracy - more specifically, the egalitarian argument for democracy developed by Thomas Christiano on the domestic level - can illuminate the reasoning of the Court, including the allocation of the margin of appreciation on a significant number of issues. Alain Zysset argues that the justification of the authority of the ECtHR - its prominent status in the domestic legal orders - reinforces the democratic process within States Parties, thereby consolidating our status as political equals in those legal and political orders.

About the Author
Alain Zysset is a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy.


Book Information
ISBN 9780367075514
Author Alain Zysset
Format Paperback
Page Count 253
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g