Deception or deference? Benevolant (yet harmful) legislative populism in the field of criminal justice: examples from Hungary

Using case studies from Hungary, and focusing on hate crimes and law-enforcement policies designed for policing multicultural communities, the paper provides examples for legislative action (documented in several jurisdictions) where codification is not based on or supported by effective political commitment or policy-determinations, but is rather triggered by a desire to conform to international commitments, (soft law) standards and norms, but eventually lack enforcement and monitoring. These half-hearted efforts, the author argues, can be damaging to constitutionalism and the rule of law by eroding trust in political legal institutions.