Terence C. Halliday, Lucien Karpik, and Malcolm M. Feeley, eds. Fates of Political Liberalism in the British Post-Colony: The Politics of the Legal Complex. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

This book explores why new nations sharing the same British colonial heritage developed divergent levels of political liberalism after independence. Through comparative essays on former colonies in South Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia, it shows how the legal complex, civil society, and the state interacted to produce contrasting post-colonial outcomes, ranging from liberal-legal orders to despotic or volatile political regimes. Attorneys and other legal actors are highlighted as central components of the legal complex: their practices, norms, and institutional roles help shape whether political freedoms are consolidated or eroded. The book emphasizes that in fragile or transitioning democracies, the capacity of legal professionals to uphold legal norms, enforce rights, and support accountable governance is critical to the resilience of liberal institutions, making them pivotal actors in both the defense and potential backsliding of democratic governance.