Forms of the State of Law and Demarcation of the Right to a Good Governance

Abstract

This article analyzes the suitable legal and political framework for citizens to exercise their right to good government. After describing the social condition of human beings that leads them to come together and bind themselves to a political organization through a social contract, the different historical forms of the Rule of Law are analyzed up to the Constitutional Rule of Law. The current Constitutionalism combines the principles of legality and legitimacy. This means that the validity of a regulation from a strictly formal perspective is not sufficient; its content must also respect the values, principles and fundamental rights established in the Constitution. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 emphasizes the significance of the individual and individual dignity (Section 10.1) and the instrumental role of the Public Administration as a political organization which shall serve the general interests in a spirit of objectivity (Section 103.1). This is the appropriate legal framework for achieving not only the efficiency and effectiveness of the government, but also the quality of its services. Furthermore, the government has ethical commitments to its citizens, which entails carrying out policies which are consistent with these commitments and avoiding policies which are not. This legal, political and ethical exposition makes it possible to understand good government in all its complexity.