On the concept of Stability of Political Systems ; Sobre el concepto de estabilidad de los sistemas políticos

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the definition of the concept of stability of political systems put forward by Ernesto Garzón Valdés in his work El concepto de estabilidad de los sistemas políticos. Ernesto Garzón proposes that we define the concept of stability of political systems using the concept of rule of recognition as a basis. In the author's opinion, this suggestion of Garzon's distorts the concept of rule of recognition, seeking as it does to extend its application beyond the realm of legal systems to the realm of political systems. Political systems are understood by Ernesto Garzón not as institutions in the legal or normative sense, but as institutions in the social sense. Taking that into account, the term «rule of recognition» does not designate a precise concept of legal theory, but is nothing but a new name for traditionally more vague political concepts like the concept of «ideology of the ruling class» or «essential elements of the political regime». This implies the failure of Ernesto Garzón's claim to provide a greater rigor to politological discourse through the use of a concept coming from legal theory. The paper finishes by mentioning the phenomenon, which is very common in Latin America, of the continuity of adjudication agencies and of their staff regardless revolutions and military coups. In order to understand this phenomenon, the author indicates the need to take into account an accepted rule of identification of law which is more basic than Hart's rule of recognition. ; El propósito de esta contribución es discutir la definición del concepto de estabilidad de los sistemas políticos que propone Ernesto Garzón Valdés en su obra El concepto de estabilidad de los sistemas políticos. Ernesto Garzón propone definir el concepto de estabilidad de los sistemas políticos a partir del concepto de regla de reconocimiento. En opinión del autor, en esta propuesta de Garzón se distorsiona el concepto de regla de reconocimiento, al pretender extender su operatividad del ámbito de los ...