Role of sociological assistance in defining the quality of lawmaking

Į teisėkūrą galima ir reikia pažvelgti ne tik juridinės technikos, bet ir teisės politikos požiūriu. Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas sociologinės pagalbos teisėkūros subjektui aktualumas, teisėkūros sociologijos turinys, viešosios nuomonės, kaip socialinio instituto, poveikis teisėkūrai ir įstatymų socialinio poveikio (padarinių) įvertinimo procedūros. Šiuolaikinė teisėkūra neįsivaizduojama be privalomos įstatymų ir jų pataisų projektų socialinio poveikio (padarinių) ekspertizės. Sociologinė pagalba teisėkūros subjektui Lietuvoje neįgauna institucionalizuotos formos, kuri išplėtota Vakarų šalyse. Tai turi lemiamos įtakos išleidžiamų įstatymų kokybei. Todėl anksčiau ar vėliau reikės įvesti projektuojamų įstatymų privalomas ne tik teisines, bet ir socialinio poveikio ekspertizes, kurios iš esmės sumažintų vis dažniau pasitaikančių nepageidautinų socialinių padarinių atsiradimo galimybes.The process of lawmaking may and should be viewed not only from the perspective of juridical technique, but also from the perspective of the politics of law. The politics of law is defined as the theory and practice of social changes projected and implemented on the basis of law as an instrument. Sociological assistance is provided to assure the smooth operation of lawmaking and the efficiency of its results. The present article analyzes the importance of sociological assistance for the subject of lawmaking, its content, the purpose of the sociology of lawmaking and its research objectives, the impact of public opinion as a social institution on lawmaking and the assessment of the social consequences of the politics of law. The latter aspect is of particular importance in the present analysis. Modern lawmaking is inconceivable without the obligatory expertise of the social consequences of law projects and their amendments. However, in Lithuania sociological assistance has not as yet received the status of an institution. The analysis of sociological assistance as a factor that determines the quality of lawmaking suggests several conclusions. The most important one is this. On the one hand, within the context of rapid and ongoing social changes the legislators have limited possibilities to pass efficient laws on the singular basis of juridical technique. On the other hand, the activity of the legislators as a social group has to expediently and reasonably influence both the condition and development of the whole of society. These circumstances function objectively and oblige the legislators to be conscious of their responsibility in the process of making new laws and amending the old ones. Therefore the countries of the Western tradition of law exercise an institutionalized form of sociological assistance to lawmaking