Ruling Before the Law: The Politics of Legal Regimes in China and Indonesia

William Hurst’s Ruling before the Law adds to the long list of books on comparative studies of Asian legal systems and is probably the first that compares the People’s Republic of China (China or PRC) and Indonesia. The author believes that a comparison between these two very different countries is meaningful because they both have young legal systems in societies with vast regional differences and sharp distinctions between rural and urban areas, and both started in a context of low incomes and poverty. Applying the concept of legal regimes to the two jurisdictions, the book aims to bring a new perspective to the study of law and society and judicial politics, with renewed micro and empirical emphasis on grassroots institutions and activities that are compared not only between the two countries but also within each country.