Ilbert, Courtenay. The Mechanics of Law Making. New York: Columbia University Press, 1914. viii, 209 pp. Reprinted 2001 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 99-047156. ISBN 1-58477-044-9. Cloth. $70. * Text of a series of lectures delivered in October 1913 at Columbia University on judicial presence, English legislation and statutes, aspects of law drafting and codification. Ilbert also provides an example of the workings of the legislative process in his discussion of the origin and functions of the Parliamentary Counsel's office in England. Ilbert was the clerk of the House of Commons.

What is effective legislation? Is it a matter of intuition, luck or the result of evidence based law making? Can it be consciously ‘engineered’? This book advances the novel idea that legislative effectiveness is the result of complex ‘mechanics’ in the conceptualisation, design and drafting of four elements inherent in every law: purpose, content, context and results. It concludes that effectiveness can be achieved with conceptual and methodological insights that guide the specific choices of lawmakers when designing and drafting legislation.

Legislatures are arguably the most important political institution in modern democracies. The Oxford Handbook of Legislative Studies, written by some of the most distinguished legislative scholars in political science, provides a comprehensive and up-to-date description and critical assessment of the state of the art in this key area.

Leading scholars from a range of disciplines address questions central to the development and survival of democratic rule.