Constitutionalism and Democracy (Half-Term)

Constitutional democracy appears to have become a universal requirement of a just regime. Yet the relationship between democracy and constitutionalism has also been deeply contested: for some critics of liberalism, constitutionalism constrains democratic decision-making far too much; for those suspicious of the demos, even more aspects of modern politics should ideally be constitutionalized and parts of the political and economic system should be entrenched. We analyze this fraught relationship from normative, legal, and empirical perspectives, focusing on key concepts and debates.