Waikeung Tam. Legal Mobilization under Authoritarianism: The Case of Post-Colonial Hong. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
This article explores the dynamics of legal mobilization under authoritarian regimes, using post-colonial Hong Kong as a case study. Legal mobilization refers to the use of legal rights and litigation by individuals to challenge or shape government actions. While some argue that such mobilization is often orchestrated by ruling elites for strategic purposes, this article challenges that view. Drawing on three decades of judicial data and interviews with activists, politicians, cause lawyers, judges, and officials, the author reveals the complex social and political forces that drive legal mobilization in Hong Kong, often contrary to the preferences of political authorities.