International Aspects of Constitution Making

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Session Description

This roundtable brings together a diverse set of participants to explore an enduring topic of constitutional design. That is, how does the international environment condition the process and choices of writing constitutional law. Topics will include the migration and transfer of constitutional ideas across jurisdictions, the role of international organizations and idea entrepreneurs, the coordination of international legal contracts and dependencies, and so on. Participants approach these topics/questions from varying methodological, epistemological, and geographic backgrounds. All are intrigued by constitutional design experiences in one corner of the world or the other. The focal contexts of the participants range from Indonesia and Sri Lanka to Brazil and Colombia to South Africa and Kenya to Tunisia and Iraq and many points in between. Regardless of setting, all are committed to the rigorous study of these experiences, whether they employ small-N or large-N approaches. Some are focused on areas of process, such as the role of the public, others about particular challenges of higher law, such as harmonizing diverse ethnic communities. All have extensive expertise in the study of constitutional law and politics.

Sub Unit

• Division 26: Law and Courts

Chair

• Zach Elkins University of Texas, Austin

Presenters

• Tom Ginsburg University of Chicago

• Zach Elkins University of Texas, Austin

• Donald L. Horowitz Duke University

• Mara Malagodi CUHK

• Christina Murray University of Cape Town

• Abrak Saati Department of Political Science, Umeå University

• Wim Voermans Leiden University