What is a 'rational framework' for legislation? Although legislation and regulation is the result of a political process, can they also be the object of theoretical study? This book tackles this question by examining the problems that are common to most European legal systems and the approach involves applying the tools of legal theory to legislative problems ('legisprudence'). While traditional legal theory deals predominantly with the question of the application of law by a judge, legisprudence enlarges the scope of study to include the creation of law by the legislator. The essays published in the volume develop a new range of insights into the relationship between legislative problems and legal theory in a way that will interest legal scholars throughout the world. Specifically, the work will attract the attention of those involved with constitutional law, EU law, human rights law and legal theory.