We illustrate legislative ideal types using the metaphors of blades:
Swiss army knives: versatile & precise
Scalpels: precise but not versatile
Machetes: versatile but not precise
Scythes: neither versatile nor precise
#polisky

In this paper @steffenhurka.bsky.social @steffiru.bsky.social @mikecowburn.bsky.social @kaplaner.bsky.social introduce a novel framework that conceptualizes legislative design along the dimensions of versatility and precision:

We illustrate legislative ideal types using the metaphors of blades:
Swiss army knives: versatile & precise
Scalpels: precise but not versatile
Machetes: versatile but not precise
Scythes: neither versatile nor precise
#polisky

Legislation shapes every aspect of public life, yet we still lack a unified way to analyze laws' design. In this paper, we introduce a novel framework that conceptualizes legislative design along the dimensions of versatility and precision

Applying this framework to environmental and macroprudential legislation in the EU, we demonstrate how laws differ in their internal architecture, and discuss what this might mean for how they function, endure, and evolve.

We illustrate legislative ideal types using the metaphor of blades:
𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 → versatile and precise
𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐬 → precise but not versatile
𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 → versatile but not precise
𝐒𝐜𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬 → neither versatile nor precise

📜 Legislation shapes every aspect of public life, yet we still lack a unified way to analyze laws' design. In this paper, we introduce a novel framework that conceptualizes 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 along two key dimensions, 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 and 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.