How Do the Courts of Final Appeal of Hong Kong and Macau Apply the Basic Law? A Quantitative Research Based on the Texts of Judgements.

Description

This research examines the characteristics of judicial application of the Basic Laws in Hong Kong and Macau on a macro level. Through quantitative analysis of judgment texts (Mikolov, 2013; Shi, 2010) of the courts of final appeal in the two regions, this research compares the similarities and differences in constitutional adjudication between Hong Kong and Macau. To date, there is scant literature that comprehensively compares the judicial application of the Basic Laws by Hong Kong and Macau courts from a quantitative empirical angle.In addition, this research will also explain the causes of the current disparities in the application of the Basic Laws, so as to facilitate constitutional exchange between the two regions. This research will also help explain the constitutional transformation in these two jurisdictions since the handover (Jellinek, 1906).