What is a Constitution? Principles and Concepts
What is a Constitution? Principles and Concepts
International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer 1
What is a Constitution? Principles and Concepts
International IDEA Constitution-Building Primer 1
Elliot Bulmer
? 2017 International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance Second edition. First published in 2014 by International IDEA.
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Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 5
2. The fundamentals of constitutions ...................................................................... 6
The functions of a constitution ............................................................................... 6 The constitution at the intersection of legal, social and political life ........................ 8 Two constitutional archetypes ................................................................................. 9 What does a constitution typically contain? ........................................................... 10 The constitution and the constitutional order ....................................................... 12
3. Constitutions and democracy ............................................................................. 13
Why have a constitution? ...................................................................................... 13 Democratic constitutionalism as a global norm ..................................................... 15 Elite accommodation ............................................................................................ 15 Inclusive bargains and precommitments ................................................................ 17 Constitutions, corruption and good citizenship ..................................................... 19
References ................................................................................................................ 21
Annex ......................................................................................................................... 23
About the author ................................................................................................... 23 About International IDEA .................................................................................... 24 About ConstitutionNet ......................................................................................... 25 More International IDEA publications on constitution-building processes ............ 26 About this series .................................................................................................... 27
1. Introduction
1. Introduction
The vast majority of contemporary constitutions describe the basic principles of the state, the structures and processes of government and the fundamental rights of citizens in a higher law that cannot be unilaterally changed by an ordinary legislative act. This higher law is usually referred to as a constitution.
The content and nature of a particular constitution, as well as how it relates to the rest of the legal and political order, varies considerably between countries, and there is no universal and uncontested definition of a constitution. Nevertheless, any broadly accepted working definition of a constitution would likely describe it as a set of fundamental legal-political rules that:
1. are binding on everyone in the state, including ordinary law-making institutions;
2. concern the structure and operation of the institutions of government, political principles and the rights of citizens;
3. are based on widespread public legitimacy; 4. are harder to change than ordinary laws (e.g. a two-thirds majority vote or
a referendum is needed); and 5. as a minimum, meet the internationally recognized criteria for a
democratic system in terms of representation and human rights.
International IDEA 5
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