Jedidiah J. Kroncke, University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law, has posted Model, System, or Node? Understanding Legal Education Reform in Twentieth-century China and Beyond:
This chapter examines the complex influence and impact of American legal education models in China's 20th-century legal reforms. It argues that while American legal ideas were widely discussed and promoted, their actual influence on China's legal education system was limited. A conceptual framework is introduced which distinguishes between a country's system of legal education, its ideal model of a law school, and episodic nodes for integrating elite domestic and international legal capital. The analysis reveals that American legal education, particularly the "Harvard model," was often presented as an ideal for reform in China. However, it primarily functioned as a model for elite, non-replicable nodes. Ultimately, this chapter challenges claims of significant American influence. It also highlights the importance of understanding the contested nature of legal education reform within China's specific historical and political context.
--Dan Ernst
