Are We There Yet? Romania’s Semi-Peripheral Rule of Law

Post-communist Romania has achieved several key milestones, most notably becoming a stable democracy and a European Union member. It ranks above the global average on democracy and the rule of law, with stable, if mediocre scores. This chapter contends that Romania’s rule of law can be analyzed as a type of semi-peripheral rule of law, with sufficiently established formal norms and institutions, but uneven development of deliberative rule of law practices and culture. The chapter introduces the concept of semi-peripheral rule of law in order to ground the analysis of Romania’s evolution, followed by a brief examination of positive post-communist developments. Ultimately, the rule of law in Romania remains embedded in a transitional and modernization logic, with formal rule of law reforms thwarted by the persistence of corruption and the politicization of law, and only partially matched by a commitment to rule of law values and practices.