From Manners to Rules traces the emergence of legalistic governance in South Korea and Japan. While these countries were previously known for governance characterized by bureaucratic discretion and vague laws, activists and lawyers are pushing for a more legalistic regulatory style. Legalism involves more formal, detailed, and enforceable rules and participatory policy processes. Previous studies have focused on top-down or structural explanations for legalism. From Manners to Rules instead documents the bottom-up change agents who are shaping legalistic governance in East Asia's main democracies. By comparing recent reforms in disability rights and tobacco control, the book uncovers the societal drivers behind legalism and the broader judicialization of politics. Drawing on 120 interviews and diverse sources, From Manners to Rules challenges the conventional wisdom that law and courts play marginal roles in Korean and Japanese politics and illuminates how legalistic governance is transforming citizens' options for political participation.

‘Celeste Arrington's extraordinary From Manners to Rules explores how grassroots and legal activists expanded disability rights and enhanced tobacco control laws in Japan and South Korea. The book upends understandings of East Asia's top-down administrative states, a must read for scholars of Japan, South Korea, and comparative legal studies.'

Mary Alice Haddad - John E. Andrus Professor of Government, Wesleyan University