Legal reform in the contemporary socialist world / Ngoc Son Bui.

Includes index.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Table of Legislation -- National Legislation -- International Instruments -- Part Foundations -- Introduction : The Socialist World in Comparative Law -- What is this book about? -- Comparative Context -- Approach and Methodology -- Theory, Argument, Contributions, and Book Structure -- Theorizing Legal Reform -- Introduction -- Legal change in comparative law -- Legal reform: A theoretical framework -- The Socialist Legal Tradition -- Introduction: The socialist legal tradition in Comparative Law -- Foundations of the socialist legal tradition -- Features of the socialist legal tradition -- Diffusion of the socialist legal tradition -- Concluding analysis: Tradition and revolution -- Part Socialist Projects of Legal Reform -- China: Legal Reform and Legal Divergence -- Introduction -- The exceptional project of legal reform -- Legislative reform -- Administrative reform -- Judicial reform -- Legal professional reform -- Concluding analysis -- Vietnam: Legal Reform and Legal Convergence -- Introduction -- The universal project of legal reform -- Legislative reform -- Administrative reform -- Judicial reform -- Legal profession reform -- Concluding analysis -- Laos: Legal Reform and External Assistance -- Introduction -- The cooperative project of legal reform -- Legislative reform -- Administrative reform -- Judicial reform -- Legal professional reform -- Concluding analysis -- North Korea: Legal Reform and Self-Reliance -- Introduction -- The self-reliant project of legal reform -- Legislative reform -- Administrative reform -- Judicial reform -- Legal professional reform -- Concluding analysis -- Cuba: Legal Reform and Updating Socialism -- Introduction -- The preservative project of legal reform -- Legislative reform -- Administrative reform -- Judicial reform -- Legal professional reform -- Concluding analysis -- Part Comparison and Conclusion -- Conclusion: Legal Reform, Socialist Law, and Comparative Law -- Introduction -- Comparing socialist legal reforms -- Comparative conceptualizations -- Index.

Legal Reform in the Contemporary Socialist World explores four decades of legal reform in the socialist countries of China, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea, and Cuba from a comparative perspective. Spanning the late 1970s to the present, it examines various projects, methods, strategies, contents, driving forces, and limitations of legislative reform, administrative reform, judicial reform, and reform of the legal profession. Legal reform in these countries is the project of the political elite to improve the legal system while retaining its core socialist principles. It is carried out through legislative enactments, amendments, and replacements, which the political elite adopt using incremental strategies to reform the legal system sporadically or systematically. Socialist legal reform is animated by the political aspiration to create the rule of law, the impact of social-economic change, and the influence of transnational and comparative law. Despite significant reforms, the socialist principles of the legal systems in these countries largely remain intact. This legal reform, however, varies considerably by country. Legal Reform in the Contemporary Socialist World offers a holistic view of understudied jurisdictions in comparative law, essential for anyone studying or working in these areas in law, politics, or policy.