Constitutional Transitions is proud to announce the launch of the Fall 2013 Colloquium series. The Constitutional Transitions & Global and Comparative Law Colloquium: Emerging From / Sliding Back into Authoritarianism will feature ten leading international experts at events throughout the semester. The series will be co-convened by Professors Sujit Choudhry and Mattias Kumm. A full schedule of speakers and events is available online here.
The Middle East and North Africa is only the latest region in which constitutional struggles are taking place to leave behind authoritarianism and reach a new, more democratic, more rights-respecting constitutional settlement. While some transitions from authoritarianism have succeeded, others have only been partially successful. Even among those countries where transitions appear to have succeeded, backsliding into authoritarianism can be observed in some cases.
Guest speakers will present works-in-progress centered around the following questions: What are the variables that influence whether a transition will be successful or stall? What are the factors that determine whether a democratic constitutional settlement will remain stable or be susceptible to backsliding? Are even mature constitutional democracies susceptible to authoritarian backsliding?
The opening session of the Fall 2013 Colloquium will take place on 4 September 2013. Professor Mark Tushnet will be discussing his latest paper, “Authoritarian Constitutionalism.” Tushnet is a leading scholar of constitutional law and theory and comparative constitutional law at Harvard Law School. Click here to learn more about the paper and upcoming presentation.
Six other works-in-progress will be presented by leading experts throughout the semester. On 6 November 2013, a special panel will convene to discuss backsliding into authoritarianism in Europe, with a special focus on Hungary and Romania. Sessions of the Colloquium are open to the public and will take place between from 1400 to 1550 p.m. in Vanderbilt Hall, Room 208, NYU School of Law, 40 Washington Square South, New York.
Last year, the theme of the Constitutional Transitions Colloquium was “The Middle East Revolutions.” Experts from around the world presented their latest research on the uprisings that had spread across the Middle East and North Africa. Summaries and video recordings of those events are available here.