The focus is on gaps between the law in the books and the law in action. In this context it is of utmost importance to identify the mechanisms which promote or prevent such effectiveness. Effectiveness of law as understood here in the meantime has become awell established branch of research in sociologyof law. Even if the goal is modestly framed it has to be stressed that also in this limited perspective it is difficult to provide a precise analysis. Scholarly researched empirical data are rather the exception than the rule. Therefore, there is no alternative but to build at least to a certain extent on speculations, based of course on close familiarity with the functioning of the system.