Law, Responsibility and Vulnerability: State Accountability and Responsiveness

This book explores how law and public policy can cause or exacerbate vulnerability in individuals and groups, using Ireland as a case study. It offers a theoretical, ethical, and normative conception of vulnerability in law and evaluates diverse practices of responding to it through accountability mechanisms and public campaigns. The book demonstrates lessons learned from theory and practice regarding how vulnerability can be experienced, structured by law, and addressed through legal and political action.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive volume explores the intricate relationship between law and public policy, shedding light on how they can either exacerbate or mitigate vulnerability among individuals and groups. Drawing upon the expertise of scholars, judges, and practitioners, the book identifies the mechanisms through which individuals and groups can become vulnerable under the influence of law and examines the ways in which the State can acknowledge and address this impact.

The book offers a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary approach to vulnerability in law, encompassing theoretical, ethical, and normative dimensions. It provides a critical evaluation of the diverse practices employed to respond to vulnerability in law, including accountability mechanisms and public campaigns. By utilizing Ireland as a case study, the analysis is enriched by examining the country's experiences in various thematic areas, such as criminal law, migration and asylum, historical abuse, LGBTI rights, and austerity.

Through comparative analyses and a consideration of the role of international law in domestic settings, the book offers valuable insights into the diverse national and transnational efforts to ensure State accountability and responsiveness to legally created vulnerabilities. It demonstrates the lessons learned from theory and practice regarding how vulnerability can be experienced by individuals and groups, structured by law, and addressed through legal and political action.

This book will appeal to a wide range of scholars and professionals, including socio-legal scholars, law and society scholars, international human rights practitioners, jurists, philosophers, legal theorists, political theorists, feminist scholars, and ethicists. Its insights will contribute to advancing our understanding of the complex dynamics between law and vulnerability and provide valuable guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and advocates working to promote justice and equity for all.

Weight: 410g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032075334