Why do courts hold political power-holders accountable in some democratic and democratizing countries, but not in others? And, why do some courts remain very timid while others - under seemingly similar circumstances - become 'hyper-active'? This is valuable contribution to the ongoing debate over the issue of democratic accountability.

Autorentext
SIRI GLOPPEN (PhD, University of Bergen) heads the 'Courts in Transition' program at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen and is Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Norway.

BRUCE M. WILSON (PhD. Washington University, St. Louis) is an Associate Professor of comparative politics at the University of Central Florida and an affiliated researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen, Norway.

ROBERTO GARGARELLA (SJD, University of Chicago) is Senior Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen, Norway and is Professor of Constitutional Theory at the Universities of Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

ELIN SKAAR (PhD, University of California, Los Angeles) is Research Director at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen, Norway.

MORTEN KINANDER (PhD, University of Bergen) is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Bergen. Norway.

Inhalt
Introduction: Power and Accountability in Latin America and Africa Courts' Accountability Functions: A Framework for Inquiry The Accountability Functions of Latin American Courts Explaining the Rise of Accountability Functions of Costa Rica's Constitutional Court Comparing Courts' Accountability Functions in Africa Does Legal Tradition Matter? The Emerging Accountability Functions of Mozambican High Courts