This ninth revised edition of World Constitutions, a monumental work by seasoned authors, portrays the conceptual and legal framework of parliamentary democracies like the UK, Japan, Canada and Australia as well as of a presidential democracy like the USA. Tony Blair’s exit and making way for Gordon Brown as Prime Minister of UK, the spectacular triumph of Barack Obama as President of US and his sincere efforts to usher in an era of all-round peace and tranquility in hitherto strife-torn world, confronted with recession and morass of economic instability and insecurity have been covered while revising the book. The victory of Nicolas Sarcozy at the hustings in France has further given a flip to the concept of peace which has been on the last leg during the preceding regimes in some of the top democratic countries of the world. The Communist China which was vying with erstwhile Soviet Union sometime back has been given a prominent place in the book, portraying its considerably liberalised and substantially modernised socialistic infrastructure. The Swiss Constitution, the only direct democracy in the world, which is a judicious combination of presidential and parliamentary forms of democracy has been analytically presented. An incisive and comparative study of these constitutions will enable the reader to obtain an unbiased and dispassionate view of their working. Where necessary, eminent authorities on the subject have been quoted copiously. The book has been updated by incorporating the latest amendments to the constitutions. The Constitution of the Russian Federation has also been included while giving a synoptic reference to former Soviet Union, which was once a super power to reckon with.

This book describes the constitutions of six major federations and how they have been interpreted by their highest courts, compares the interpretive methods and underlying principles that have guided the courts, and explores the reasons for major differences between these methods and principles. Among the interpretive methods discussed are textualism, purposivism, structuralism and originalism. Each of the six federations is the subject of a separate chapter written by a leading authority in the field: Jeffrey Goldsworthy (Australia), Peter Hogg (Canada), Donald Kommers (Germany), S.P. Sathe (India), Heinz Klug (South Africa), and Mark Tushnet (United States). Each chapter describes not only the interpretive methodology currently used by the courts, but the evolution of that methodology since the constitution was first enacted. The book also includes a concluding chapter which compares these methodologies, and attempts to explain variations by reference to different social, historical, institutional and political circumstances.

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. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial}

While their use and significance have increased in recent decades, constitutional preambles have received only scant attention in academic literature. This presents a uniquely quantitative and qualitative analysis of all the preambles currently in force around the world and addresses fascinating questions concerning their occurrence, content, style, function and legal status. Studying preambles not only helps us understand the phenomenon itself, but also teaches us more about constitutions and the constitutional systems in which they are situated.

This landmark volume of specially commissioned, original contributions by top international scholars organizes the issues and controversies of the rich and rapidly maturing field of comparative constitutional law. Divided into sections on constitutional design and redesign, identity, structure, individual rights and state duties, courts and constitutional interpretation, this comprehensive volume covers over 100 countries as well as a range of approaches to the boundaries of constitutional law. While some chapters reference the text of legal instruments expressly labeled constitutional, others focus on the idea of entrenchment or take a more functional approach. Challenging the current boundaries of the field, the contributors offer diverse perspectives - cultural, historical and institutional - as well as suggestions for future research. A unique and enlightening volume, Comparative Constitutional Law is an essential resource for students and scholars of the subject.