eprintid: 10103299 rev_number: 14 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/10/10/32/99 datestamp: 2020-07-01 14:47:04 lastmod: 2020-09-01 21:38:29 status_changed: 2020-07-01 14:47:04 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Taffoni, G title: Supporting rule of law from abroad: a comparative assessment of two post-Arab Spring judicial reforms ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: A01 divisions: B03 divisions: C03 keywords: comparative analysis; European judicial support; Euro-Mediterranean relations; judicial policies; rule of law note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. abstract: In the Southern Mediterranean region, the European Union (EU) supports the establishment of rule of law, pressuring for both the adoption of institutional guarantees of judicial independence and the enhancement of court administration capabilities. Drawing on a set of interviews with key EU and domestic actors, this study compares Morocco and Jordan, examining changes adopted at the institutional and administrative level since the ‘Arab Spring’ broke out. The findings show that external incentives for change penetrated only the administrative level of domestic judicial systems, while a path-dependent effect persisted at the institutional level. The evidence confirms the thesis that in areas of low politics even a mere normative pressure is able to drive rule adoption, whereas in more sensitive policy areas, as in the case of institutional judicial guarantees, the higher costs of adaptation make veto players resistant to external influences for change. date: 2020-03 date_type: published official_url: https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2019.17 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1718597 doi: 10.1017/ipo.2019.17 lyricists_name: Taffoni, Gaia lyricists_id: GTAFF25 actors_name: Taffoni, Gaia actors_id: GTAFF25 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica volume: 50 number: 1 pagerange: 70-86 citation: Taffoni, G; (2020) Supporting rule of law from abroad: a comparative assessment of two post-Arab Spring judicial reforms. Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica , 50 (1) pp. 70-86. 10.1017/ipo.2019.17 <https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2019.17>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10103299/1/RISP.pdf