Beyond Expansion or Restriction? Models of Interaction between the Living Instrument and Margin of Appreciation Doctrines and the Scope of the ECHR

Journal article


Ita, Rachael and Hicks, David 2021. Beyond Expansion or Restriction? Models of Interaction between the Living Instrument and Margin of Appreciation Doctrines and the Scope of the ECHR. International Human Rights Law Review. 10 (1), pp. 40-74. https://doi.org/10.1163/22131035-01001004
AuthorsIta, Rachael and Hicks, David
Abstract

The living instrument doctrine of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is criticized as restricting the margin of appreciation of States and expanding the scope of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Systematic examination of this claim is usually overlooked in the context of the relationship between the admissibility and merits phase of ECtHR cases. This paper considers this claim in the context of jurisdictional arguments on incompatibility ratione materiae (subject matter outside the scope of the Convention) and the link to the merits of the case. Case law of the ECtHR from January 1979 to December 2016 is assessed to elaborate four models of interaction between the margin of appreciation and living instrument doctrines. This paper argues the need to go beyond consideration of expansion and restriction of the scope of the ECHR, and to assess the Court’s appetite for allocating new duties to States based upon the case arguments and positioning of living instrument and margin of appreciation doctrines.

KeywordsLaw; Sociology and Political Science; European Convention on Human Rights (echr)
Year2021
JournalInternational Human Rights Law Review
Journal citation10 (1), pp. 40-74
PublisherBrill
ISSN2213-1027
2213-1035
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1163/22131035-01001004
Web address (URL)http://hdl.handle.net/10545/625919
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
hdl:10545/625919
Publication dates23 Jun 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited09 Aug 2021, 15:04
Accepted31 May 2021
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Attribution 4.0 International

ContributorsDe Montfort University and University of Derby
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