In her latest book, From Manners to Rules: Advocating for Legalism in South Korea and Japan, Dr. Celeste Arrington traces the emergence of legalistic governance in South Korea and Japan. Arrington is the Korea Foundation Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies. As a foremost expert in comparative politics focusing on the Koreas and Japan, few are better positioned to tackle this subject.
The book documents bottom-up sources of institutional and social change, as activists and lawyers advocate for and use more formal rules and procedures. By comparing recent reforms in disability rights and tobacco control, Arrington's analysis uncovers the societal drivers behind legalism and the broader judicialization of politics in East Asia’s main democracies. Drawing on 120 interviews and diverse sources, From Manners to Rules challenges the conventional wisdom that law and courts play marginal roles in Korean and Japanese politics and illuminates how legalistic governance is transforming citizens’ options for political participation. Learn more at Cambridge University Press.