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Competence Norms, Nature of

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Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy

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Introduction

The concept of a norm of competence is central to the contemporary legal theory conceptual apparatus. It is also of paramount importance in day-to-day legal practice as a presupposition for the assessment of the legal validity of legislative, judicial, or administrative norms and decisions, as well as of contracts and promises. Norms of competence (hereinafter “NC”) have, however, been immersed amidst controversy for several years. Although there is an overlapping consensus on NC serving the purpose of conferring upon a given subject the ability, or aptitude, to change the legal positions of certain subjects (Hohfeld 1917; Lindahl 1977), theoretical disagreements persist on the nature of such norms.

Preliminary Precisions

To Hold and to Exercise Competence

It is common knowledge that “p holding competence over q” and “p exercising competence over q” are two different states of affairs. To hold competence is a relatively stable legal position; to exercise it is an...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Assistant Professor of Law, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Pedro Moniz Lopes

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  1. Pedro Moniz Lopes
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Correspondence to Pedro Moniz Lopes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International & Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Mortimer Sellers

  2. Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, University of Salzburg, Austria, Salzburg, Austria

    Stephan Kirste

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Theory, Sociology and Philosophy of Law, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law, Belgrade, Serbia

    Miodrag Jovanovic

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Lopes, P.M. (2018). Competence Norms, Nature of. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_223-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_223-2

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Competence Norms, Nature of
    Published:
    19 July 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_223-2

  2. Original

    The Nature of Competence Norms
    Published:
    24 August 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_223-1

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