Constitutionalism has become a byword for legitimate government, but is it fated to lose its relevance as constitutional states relinquish power to international institutions? This book evaluates the extent to which constitutionalism, as an empirical idea and normative ideal, can be adapted to institutions beyond the state by surveying the sophisticated legal and political system of the European Union. Having originated in a series of agreements between states, the EU has acquired important constitutional features like judicial review, protections for individual rights, and a hierarchy of norms. Nonetheless, it confounds traditional models of constitutional rule to the extent that its claim to authority rests on the promise of economic prosperity and technocratic competence rather than on the democratic will of citizens. Critically appraising the European Union and its legal system, this book proposes the idea of ‘functional constitutionalism’ to describe this distinctive configuration of public power. Although the EU is the most advanced instance of functional constitutionalism to date, understanding this pragmatic mode of constitutional authority is essential for assessing contemporary international economic governance.
- This event has passed.
Europe’s Functional Constitution: A Theory of Constitutionalism Beyond the State (New Book Talk)
Monday, December 5, 2016 @ 6:15 pm – 8:15 pm
Participants
Author
Turkuler Isiksel, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
Discussant
Nadia Urbinati, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos Professor of Political Theory and Hellenic Studies, Columbia University
Discussant
Katharina Pistor, Michael I. Sovern Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
Discussant
Mattias Kumm, Inge Rennert Professor of Law, New York University
Chair
Timothy Frye, Marshall D Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy, Columbia University
Click here for more information.
Sponsors
Heyman Center for the Humanities
European Institute
Dean of Humanities, School of Arts and Sciences
Dean of Social Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences
Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy