Announcement–New Book: “Comparative Constitution-Making” (Edward Elgar 2019)

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—Richard Albert, William Stamps Farish Professor in Law and Professor of Government, The University of Texas at Austin

My colleague and co-editor here at I-CONnect, David Landau, has just published a new and important volume on “Comparative Constitution-Making” (Edward Elgar 2019).

David and Hanna Lerner have brought together over 20 scholars to produce a comprehensive study of constitution-making. Here is a short description of the volume:

Recent years have witnessed an explosion of new research on constitution making. Comparative Constitution Making provides an up-to-date overview of this rapidly expanding field.

Bringing together leading scholars from political science and comparative public law, this handbook presents a broad historical and geographical perspective, exploring debates on constitutionalism across the world. Contributions provide original, innovative research on central issues related to the process and context of constitution making and identify distinctive elements or models of regional constitutionalism.

Insightful and comprehensive, this handbook offers impeccable guidance for students and scholars of constitutional and comparative public law, as well as political science, sociology and history, who are interested in the study of constitution making, democratization and post-conflict reconstruction. Lawyers, civil servants and NGOs in the field of constitutional advising and post-conflict institution building will also benefit from this handbook’s unique insight.

And here, immediately below, are the contents of this new book:

1. Introduction
Hanna Lerner and David Landau

Part I: Foundations

2. Revolutions and Constitution-Making
Andrew Arato

3. Constitution Making and Social Transformation
Heinz Klug

4. International Involvement in Constitution-Making
Cheryl Saunders

5. Constituent Power, Primary Assemblies, and the Imperative Mandate
Joel Colon-Rios

6. Amendment and Revision in the Unmaking of Constitutions
Richard Albert

Part II: Techniques and Processes

7. The Constitutional Referendum in Historical Perspective
Zach Elkins and Alexander Hudson

8. Constitutional Design Deferred
Rosalind Dixon

9. Making Constitutions in Deeply Divided Places
Brendan O’Leary

10. Civil society, participation and the making of Kenya’s constitution
Yash Ghai

11. How Constitutional Crowdsourcing can Enhance Legitimacy in Constitution-Making
Carlos Bernal

Part III: Contexts and Contents

12. Religion and Constitution-Making in Comparative Perspective
Asli Bali and Hanna Lerner

13. Constitution Making and State Building
Joanne Wallis

14. The Making of ‘Illiberal Constitutionalism’ with or without a New Constitution: The Case of Hungary and Poland
Gabor Halmai

15. Constitution Making: The case of ‘Unwritten’ Constitutions
Janet McClean

16. The Making of Constitutional Preambles
Justin Frosini

Part IV: Historical Perspectives

17. Constitutionalism Ancient and Oriental
Patricia Springborg

18. First Constitutions: American Procedural Influence
Lorianne Updike Toler

19. National Identity and Constitutions in Modern Europe: Into the Fifth Zone
Bill Kissane and Nick Sitter

20. Constitution Making and Constitutionalism in Europe
Chris Thornhill

Part V: Regional Perspectives

21. The Unsurprising but Distinctive Nature of Constitution Writing in the Arab World
Nathan Brown

22. Constitution Crafting in South Asia: Lessons on Accommodation and Alienation
Menaka Guruswamy

23. Constitution-making and Public Participation in Southeast Asia
Melissa Crouch

24. Voluntary Infusion of Constitutionalism in Anglophone African Constitutions
Francois Venter

25. Post-Soviet Constitution-Making
Will Partlett

26. Constituent Power and Constitution-Making in Latin America
David Landau

Please join me in congratulating David, and his co-editor Hanna, on their new book!