Revolutionary Constitutionalism: Law, Legitimacy, Power

The book, a result of a major international conference held at Yale Law School, critically engages with Bruce Ackerman's path-breaking book, Revolutionary Constitutions: Charismatic Leadership and the Rule of Law, featuring contributions from leading scholars in public law. It challenges and refines Ackerman's theory, addressing key subjects in constitutionalism today, such as populism, democratic backsliding, constitutional design, amendment, and the role of courts in politics.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book, the result of a major international conference held at Yale Law School, brings together contributions from prominent scholars in public law who engage critically with Bruce Ackerman's groundbreaking book, Revolutionary Constitutions: Charismatic Leadership and the Rule of Law. The book also includes a rebuttal chapter by Ackerman, in which he responds directly to the contributors' essays. While some advance Ackerman's theory, others challenge it, and still others refine it, all agree that the ideas in his book have reshaped the terms of debate on the most important subjects in constitutionalism today. From the promise and perils of populism to the causes and consequences of democratic backsliding, from the optimal models of constitutional design to the forms and limits of constitutional amendment, and from the role of courts in politics to how we identify when the mythical "people have spoken," this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the current state of constitutionalism.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509974245