Zeegers, Nicolle

Dr. Nicolle Zeegers is Assistent Professor in Political Science at the Department of Legal Theory, Faculty of Law, University of Groningen. She graduated on a study on the political controversy over rape in criminal justice in the Netherlands between 1975 and 1995. Her fields of interest are: the regulation of reproductive technologies, domestic violence and law, the social and symbolic working of law and the relationship between law and politics.

Social and Symbolic Effects of Legislation Under the Rule of Law

2005 0-7734-6164-7
This book addresses a set of intriguing and complex questions in the study of law and society. How does legislation affect the behavior of citizens? What role do attitudes play in rule following and under what conditions can legislation influence these attitudes? The book juxtaposes two approaches to this set of questions. The social working approach is an exercise in empirical sociology of law, seeking a behavioral explanation of rule- following. The communicative approach to legislation investigates legislation as a communication process in both an empirical and a normative sense. The ensuing debate sheds light on the uses and dangers of legislation as an instrument of democratic governance under the rule of law.