New book on constitutionalism

The Twilight of Constitutionalism?

Ed. by Petra Dobner and Martin Loughlin

(Oxford University Press, 2010)

368 pp.




Description

The concepts and values that underpin traditional constitutionalism are increasingly being challenged by political realities that place substantial power beyond the state. Among the few certainties of a global economy is the growing incongruity between the political (the world of things that need to be ordered collectively in order to sustain society) and the state (the major institution of authoritative political decision-making during modern times). The consequences, and possible remedies, of this double disjunction of politics and state and of state and constitution form the centre of an open debate about 'constitutionalism beyond the state'.

The essays gathered in this collection explore the range of issues raised by this debate. The effects of recent changes on two of the main building blocks of constitutionalism - statehood and democracy - are examined in Parts I and II. Since the movement of overcoming statehood has, arguably, been advanced furthest in the European context, the question of the future of constitutionalist ideas in the framework of the EU provides the key theme of Part III. The remaining parts consider possible transformations or substitutes. The engagement of constitutions with international law offers one line of transmutation of constitutionalism (Part IV) and the diffusion of constitutionalism into separate social spheres provides an alternative way of pursuing constitutionalism in a new key (Part VI). Finally, the ability of the theory of global administrative law (examined in Part V) to offer an alternative account of the potential of jurisdictional control of global governing processes is examined.

Contents

Introduction

Part I: Constitutionalism and the Erosion of Statehood
1. Dieter Grimm: The Achievement of Constitutionalism and its Prospects in a Changed World [preview]
2. Ulrich K. Preuss: Disconnecting Constitutions from Statehood: Is Global Constitutionalism a Viable Concept?
3. Martin Loughlin: What is Constitutionalisation?

Part II: The Question of Europe
4. Tanja A. Börzel: European Governance: Governing with or without the State?
5. Fritz W. Scharpf: Legitimacy in the Multi-level European Polity
6. Sonja Puntscher: Constitutionalism and Representation: European Parliamentarism in the Treaty of Lisbon

Part III: Constitutionalism without Democracy?
7. Petra Dobner: More Law, Less Democracy? Democracy and Transnational Constitutionalism
8. Marcus Llanque: On Constitutional Membership
9. Hauke Brunkhorst: Constitutionalism and Democracy in the World Society

Part IV: Constitutional Law and Public International Law
10. Mattias Kumm: The Best of Times and the Worst of Times
11. Rainer Wahl: In Defence of 'Constitution'

Part V: Global Administrative Law: A Viable Substitute?
12. Nico Krisch: Global Administrative Law and the Constitutional Ambition
13. Alexander Somek: Administration without Sovereignty

Part VI: The Emergence of Societal Constitutionalism
14. Neil Walker: Beyond the Holistic Constitution?
15. Riccardo Prandini: The Morphogenesis of Constitutionalism
16. Gunther Teubner: Fragmented Foundations: Societal Constitutionalism beyond the Nation State