About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

61 Va. J. Int'l L. 137 (2020-2021)
Confessionalism in Lebanon: The Costs of Seeking Consensus through Fragmentation

handle is hein.journals/vajint61 and id is 143 raw text is: ARTICLE Confessionalism in Lebanon: The Costs of Seeking Consensus Through Fragmentation KAREEM RAMADAN Confessionalpolitical systems are exceptional in that they seek to build consensus by reinforcing /ragmentation o disparate groups. Such a tension is most evident in the case o L'banon. The count y ' creation and histoy make it an interesting case study demonstrating the / imitations o a con>essional system. Whi/e most academics ocus on the substantive merits o such a sJstem and the theoy o its creation, this Note goes a different route. Instead, app/ied a w and economics princip/es provide ins/ghts on the effectiveness (or lack thereof o con essionalism. This Note begins !y out/ining the modern histoy o L'banon. The ollowing subparts shine /ight on the useu/ness of economic theo y to better critique con essionalism. Part II uses bargain theory and voting ru/es to demonstrate how the in amous Lbanese Troika can be reconfigured to reach more eicient government. Additiona/ly, it argues that fami/ism conso/idates power within the po/itica' / rul/ing c/ass, but simu/taneously /owers the transaction costs of bargaining at the expense of damaging democratic institutions. Part III discusses e/ections, representation, and intransitive voting, demonstrating that the coun/t, y's system breeds in cienc'y, while showing that representation error undermines the ideas behind a conessiona/ist system. Part IV exp/ains how entrenchment rein orces a status quo that externa/is:'es costs to everyday citizens, whie a/llig the rul'/ig c/ass to internase a// the benefits. U/timate/y, these economic princip/es provide a new persective on how to view confessional systems and illustrate why change is needed in Lebanon. * J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2020. I would like to thank the economics-minded faculty of the Law School, particularly Michael Gilbert, who supported me throughout this process and throughout law school. Thanks are also owed to my friends and colleagues who provided sound advice and encouragement along the way, including Anna Noone, Jacob Rush, and the staff of the Virginia Journal of International Law. And finally, thanks to my family for their constant and unwavering belief in me.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most