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Proportionality Test

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Abstract

Proportionality test is a legal method used by courts, typically constitutional courts, to decide hard cases, which are cases where two or more legitimate rights collide. In such cases a decision necessarily leads to one right prevailing at the expense of another. In order to decide such cases correctly, the court must balance the satisfaction of some rights and the damage to other rights resulting from a judgment. This entry overviews the proportionality test and the four steps of implementing the test. We also discuss the incommensurability problem, which is the main criticism of the balancing approach.

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Correspondence to Josef Montag .

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Sobek, T., Montag, J. (2018). Proportionality Test. In: Marciano, A., Ramello, G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Law and Economics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_721-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_721-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7883-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7883-6

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Proportionality Test
    Published:
    21 January 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_721-2

  2. Original

    Proportionality Test
    Published:
    21 March 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_721-1