Publication details
How ideology shapes legal concepts: The case of public order
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Psychology, Public Policy, and Law |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | preprint |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/law0000449 |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This study explores the intersection of ideology and legal reasoning using a novel systemic approach grounded in network thinking, analyzing the vague legal concept of public order (PO) as a social representation. Our findings support the presence of a broadly agreed-upon core of PO, alongside a periphery, which is variable and connected to ideology, especially right-wing authoritarianism. In this context, political beliefs seem to be linked with reasoning about some PO judgments, such as when assessing LGBTQ+ rights. Our findings suggest the need to raise awareness among legal policymakers and practitioners about the ideological underpinnings of PO while demonstrating the utility of network modeling as a powerful tool for studying legal concepts across diverse legal cultures and regions. |
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