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  5. Causes and forms of manifestation of legal manipulation in the mechanism of legal regulation of social relations

Almanac of law. Issue 17 (2026), pages 367–376.

DOI: 10.33663/2524-017X-2026-17-367-376

Mima I. V.
Causes and forms of manifestation of legal manipulation in the mechanism of legal regulation of social relations

The article examines legal manipulation as a complex socio-legal phenomenon caused by deficiencies in the legal regulation mechanism. The author emphasizes that legal manipulation not only distorts the essence of law as a regulator of social relations, but also poses a real threat to the principles of the rule of law, justice and legal certainty. It has been established that the main causes of this phenomenon are the vagueness and contradiction of legislative norms, the presence of gaps in the law, the insufficient level of legal culture among subjects of legal relations, as well as political and economic factors that influence lawmaking and law enforcement. The researcher analyzed in detail the forms of manifestation of legal manipulation, in particular: the use of legal conflicts in order to achieve personal or corporate interests; deliberate delay or complication of legal procedures; legal formalism, which allows evading the essential content of the norms; manipulation of legal definitions; selective application of norms depending on political or economic expediency. It is noted that such manipulation contributes to the distortion of law enforcement practice, undermines trust in state institutions and reduces the effectiveness of legal regulation in general.

In the course of the study, the author established that the manipulation of legal goals and means in the process of interpreting the law negatively affects the law-making process. In particular, legal norms no longer serve as the embodiment of the public interest, but become functional elements in the system of implementing narrow-group or situational intentions. As a result, the potential of all forms of law enforcement is leveled, which are transformed into formal, often artificial and mechanical forms of coordinating the behavior of participants in legal relations. This limits freedom of choice, introduces subjects into legal delusion regarding their true interests, rights, opportunities and methods of their implementation. All this contributes to the spread of distrust in state institutions, the depreciation of law as a guarantor of justice and an effective tool of social regulation.

As a result, the author emphasized the need to form a comprehensive strategy to combat legal manipulation, which should cover several key areas. First of all, it is about improving the quality of the rule-making process - taking into account the principles of legal technique, systematic codification, avoiding conflicts, formulating clear and unambiguous norms; eliminating regulatory ambiguity. It is no less important to establish uniform ethical standards of legal activity; strengthen control over compliance with legislation and transparency of law enforcement, and develop the legal culture of the population and officials. The implementation of such measures will not only reduce the scale of legal manipulation, but also strengthen the rule of law, guarantee the implementation of citizens’ rights and freedoms, and increase confidence in law as the main regulator of social relations.

Keywords: legal manipulation, legal regulation, legislative gaps, legal formalism, legal culture, abuse of law, forms of manifestation, causes.

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Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 22.01.2026
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 09.04.2026
Дата публікації: 30.04.2026

 

 

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