Constitutional Texts Sources

Constitutional Texts Sources in Europe

There are two principal comparative sources for a majority of texts. Peaslee (1950-1974) and Flanz and Blaustein — and their successors Grote and Wolfrum – (1971-current) have compiled English translations of constitutions for an exhaustive set of countries with periodic updates. While Peaslee’s series is updated roughly every five years, the Flanz and Blaustein series – the well-known Constitutions of the Countries of the World (CCOW) – is updated at least once a year. This last series updates are hole-punched and intended to replace previous updates in the binders.

Moreover, both of these series include notes and constitutional histories. CCOW’s publisher was Oceana Law.

These two sources provide constitutional texts since 1950. For constitutional events prior to 1950 there are regional and country sources available. Fortunately, the number of states drops precipitously in the years prior to our data-rich era (e.g. there were roughly 75 independent states in 1950 versus over 130 in 1960).

Further Reading

  • Elkins, Zachary. 2010. “Diffusion and the Constitutionalization of Europe.” Comparative Political Studies, 43.8: 969-999.
  • Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. 2009. The Endurance of National Constitutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Ginsburg, Tom, and Zachary Elkins. 2009. “Ancillary Powers of Constitutional Courts.” Texas Law Review, 87.7: 1431-1461.
  • Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and Justin Blount. 2009. “Does the Process of Constitution-Making Matter?” Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 5: 201-223.
  • Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and Justin Blount. 2009. “Citizen as Founder: Public Participation in Constitutional Approval.” Temple University Law Review, 81.2: 361-382. (reprinted in Spanish in the inaugural issue of Revista Digital de Ciencia Politica del Ecuador.)
  • Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. 2008. “Military Occupations and their Constitutional Residue.” APSA-CP Newsletter, 19: 7-10.
  • Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. 2008. “Baghdad, Tokyo, Kabul…: Constitution Making in Occupied States.” William and Mary Law Review, 49: 1139-1178.
  • Ginsburg, Tom, Zachary Elkins, and Svitlana Chernykh. 2008. “Commitment and Diffusion: How and Why National Constitutions Incorporate International Law.” University of Illinois Law Review, 201-238.
  • Lipson, Jonathan. 2008. “Debt and Democracy: Towards a Constitutional Theory of Bankruptcy.” Notre Dame Law Review, 83: 605-696.
  • Elkins, Zachary, and John Sides. 2007. “Can Institutions Build Unity in Multiethnic States?” American Political Science Review, 101: 693-708.
  • Garoupa, Nuno, and Tom Ginsburg. 2007. “The Economics of Judicial Councils.” Berkeley Program in Law & Economics. Latin America and Caribbean Law and Economics Association Annual Papers.
  • Ginsburg, Tom. 2006. “Locking in Democracy: Constitutions, Commitment and International Law.” New York University Journal of International Law and Politics, 38: 707-760.
  • Horowitz, Donald l. 2006. “Constitutional Courts: A Primer for Decision Makers.” Journal of Democracy, 17: 125-137.
  • Aaken, Anne van, and Stefan Voigt. 2009. “Do Individual Disclosure Rules for Parliamentarians Improve Government Effectiveness?” unpublished manuscript.
  • Cheibub, Jose, Zachary Elkins, and Tom Ginsburg. “On the Hybridization of Constitutional Form: The Case of Executive-Legislative Relations.” unpublished manuscript.
  • Sill, Kaitlyn, Caroline Payne. 2008. “The Effect of Domestic Institutions on International Human rights Treaties.” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL.
  • Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. 2007. “The Lifespan of a Constitutional System.” unpublished manuscript.
  • Carey, John. 2007. “Does It Matter How a Constitution Is Created?.” presented at the Conference on Exporting Democracy: What Democracies Can and Cannot Do, University of Texas, April 20-21, 2007.

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