A Comment on the Rule of Law Unplugged

There is a familiar rhetorical template around which mle of law papers are framed. It involves a dizzying number of legal scholars, both ancient and modem, who remind us of the subject's gravity and intellectual pedigree. Although we may disagree over precisely what defining the concept entails, the contours of the conceptual debate are clearly demarcated, and in any sense, the mle of law is normatively appealing. From economic development^ to political order^ and the expansion and protection of human rights,** aspects of the mle of law seem critical to the maintenance of core elements of human welfare. In light of its normative and positive standing, we are informed of the dense intemational network of mle-of-law-reformers, who spend considerable resources tracking and advocating institutional change around the globe.