Constitutional Collapse and the Vanishing Social Contract in Libya and Sudan
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Sami SAEED
Dr Sami Saeed analyses how conflicts in Sudan and Libya affect the countries’ social contracts and constitutional order.
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Les biais linguistiques (notamment anglophones) : un angle mort de la recherche en droit constitutionnel comparé
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Odile Ammann
Odile Ammann explores the symptoms of language bias in Comparative Constitutional Law Scholarship, which seems to lead to the prevalence of the English language in the field and weakens the quality of comparative pursuits. AI translations are hardly a satisfying solution.
Read MoreAn Italian Judicial Overhaul? Key Constitutional Revisions to the Judiciary Face a Crucial Referendum
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Tania GROPPI
Ahead of the referendum on constitutional revisions to the judiciary in Italy later in March 2026, Tania Groppi considers how the reform proposals - encompassing the separation between adjudicative and prosecutorial careers, the composition of the Superior Council of the Judiciary and the creation of the High Disciplinary court as a novel disciplinary body - weaken judicial independence and the rule of law.
Read MoreLanguage Barriers in the Global Constitutional Dialogue
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Masahiko KINOSHITA
Masahiko Kinoshita examines language barriers in global constitutional dialogue. Although the linguistically driven core-periphery structure poses a significant challenge, a range of mitigating strategies is available for both journal publishing and international conferences.
Read MoreApproaching ‘Stateness’ as a Spectrum
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Elisabeth PERHAM and Maartje De VISSER
In the latest post in our symposium on Small State Constitutionalism, Maartje De Visser and Elisabeth Perham explore the idea of ‘stateness’, arguing for greater attention in comparative constitutional scholarship to the constitutional experiences and designs of non-independent and non-sovereign jurisdictions.
Read MoreGuest Editors’ Introduction to Symposium on ‘The Language of Comparative Constitutional Law – Questioning Hegemonies’
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Erika ARBAN, Maartje De VISSER and Jeong-In YUN
Erika Arban, Maartje De Visser and Jeong-In Yun introduce a new symposium on ‘The Language of Comparative Constitutional Law – Questioning Hegemonies’. Based on an edited collection published by Hart in 2025, it critically discusses the role and impact of language in comparative constitutional law studies.
Read MoreThe Caribbean’s Dyadic Constitutions
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Tracy ROBINSON
Tracy Robinson explores dyadic constitutionalism in the Anglo-Caribbean—an understudied form of constitutional pluralism in which internal constitutions operate alongside enduring imperial legal authority. The post shows how colonial constitutional infrastructure continues to shape sovereignty, judicial power, gender equality, and democratic change in small Caribbean states and overseas territories.
Read MoreBalancing Tradition and Constitutionalism in Europe’s Micro Jurisdictions
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Elisa BERTOLINI
In the latest post in our symposium on Small State Constitutionalism, Elisa Bertolini discusses the experiences of Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino, highlighting how scale, identity and history shape constitutional design.
Read MoreMultitasked Office: A Constitutional Design Choice for Small States
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Anna DZIEDZIC
Anna Dziedzic examines multitasked office as a constitutional design choice in small states, analyzing its motivations, benefits, and risks in Kiribati, Nauru, and the Marshall Islands.
Read MoreThe Updated Rule of Law Checklist of the Venice Commission: Some Preliminary Remarks
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Francesco BIAGI
In the latest addition to the IACL Blog’s new series ‘Spotlight on the Venice Commission’, Professor Francesco Biagi (Bologna) unpacks the Venice Commission’s newly unveiled and updated Rule of Law Checklist and how it helps us comprehend and push back against authoritarianism.
Read MoreSmall-state Constitutionalism and Legal Pluralism – Natural Resource management in Suriname’s tribal habitats
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Ine APAPOE & Janine UBINK
Ine Apapoe and Janine Ubink explore Suriname’s strong legal pluralism, where Indigenous and Maroon communities assert customary authority over land and resources, challenging the state’s claim to ultimate constitutional authority.
Read MoreSmall State and Big Challenges: Eswatini’s Authoritarian King and the (Mis)uses of Swazi Law and Custom
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Sinethemba MEMELA
Sinethemba Memela examines the uses and misuses of law and custom in Eswatini as a small constitutional state. In the country, authoritarianism has been discursively legitimised through an identitarian construction of Swazis as an inherently peaceful and acquiescent people – a narrative systemically weaponized to repress political dissent and domesticate the judiciary.
Read MoreSmall States and Autocracy – A Look at Government in Malta
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John STANTON
John Stanton examines Malta’s government and democracy from its time as a British colony to post-independence.
Read MoreConstitutional Weaving in Tonga, a Small State with Traditional Authority: A Theoretical Framework for Tonga’s Constitutionalism
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Mele Tupou VAITOHI
In Pacific constitutional studies, written constitutions are often framed as postcolonial products – legal instruments adopted in the wake of empire. Tonga stands apart from this narrative. As the only Pacific Island nation never formally colonised (though it was a British protectorate from 1900 to 1970), Tonga developed its own constitutional order through a process that cannot be explained adequately by modern constitutional theory or legal pluralism.
Read MoreSmall State Constitutionalism: Introduction to the Symposium
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Elisabeth PERHAM, Rosalind DIXON and Maartje De VISSER
New Symposium: Elisabeth Perham, Maartje de Visser and Rosalind Dixon introduce a new symposium on the Blog on Small State Constitutionalism. Based on an edited collection of the same name published by Hart in 2025, the symposium highlights the constitutional issues caused by or encountered in relation to small state jurisdictions.
Read MoreSetting Standards on Judicial Councils: The Spanish Case before the Venice Commission
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Tania GROPPI
With Opinion CDL-AD(2025)038-e, adopted at its 144th session on 9–10 October 2025, the Venice Commission was called upon to apply international standards on the composition of judicial councils to a consolidated Western European democracy, Spain, following a request submitted by the President of the General Council of the Judiciary (hereinafter GCJ). In doing so, the Opinion ultimately reaffirms that the composition of judicial councils is no longer a matter of exclusive domestic concern grounded solely in State sovereignty, but rather constitutes an integral element of a European legal order founded on the rule of law and, as such, falls within the scrutiny of European institutions.
Read MoreEditorial - Welcome Back After the Southern Hemisphere Hiatus
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Saoirse ENRIGT, Seána GLENNON, Pravar PETKAR
3 February 2026 marks the first publication day for the Blog following our Southern Hemisphere summer hiatus. We are delighted to return with a number of exciting updates, including personnel changes, new collaborations, and announcements.
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