“If Men were angels, no government would be necessary” – James Madison famously said. However, that’s not what we are dealing with in reality: political power and authority is exercised by fallible people over fallible people – with no angels at either end. Our research at the MCC Center for Constitutional Politics examines how this political authority is created and, at the same time, constrained by constitutions adopted by imperfect people. The research projects of the Center seek to answer the question of how political actors and judges – who are the guardians of the constitution – bring the constitution to life, how the most fundamental rules of a political community are adopted, followed (or disregarded), enforced or even reshaped. In the 21st century, the boundaries of political communities are increasingly called into question and being redefined. Thus, our work covers the examination of questions of national sovereignty, European and global constitutionalism. The Center for Constitutional Politics offers MCC students a range of debate-style courses, allowing them to engage in guided discussion over the questions of political and constitutional theory that affect their everyday lives.
The MCC Center for Constitutional Politics hosts several conferences and guest lectures. Invited speakers include:
- Lord Sumption (former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom)
- John Larkin (former Attorney General for Northern Ireland)
- Péter Paczolay (European Court of Human Rights)
- John Finnis (University of Oxford / University of Notre Dame)
- Nigel Biggar (University of Oxford)
- Michael Freeden (University of Oxford)
- Paul Yowell (University of Oxford)
- Marie Kawthar Daouda (University of Oxford / Oriel College)
- Cristina Parau (University of Oxford / NTNU)
- Maris Köpcke (University of Oxford)
- Paolo Carozza (University of Notre Dame)
- Stephanie Barclay (University of Notre Dame)
- John Keown (Georgetown University)
- Molly Gurdon Pinkoski (Columbia University)
- Carlos Bernal (University of Dayton)
- Christopher Tollefsen (University of South Carolina)
- Nuno Garoupa (George Mason University)
- Jeremy Rabkin (George Mason University)
- Eric Claeys (George Mason University)
- Jon Shields (Claremont McKenna College)
- Joel Kotkin (Chapman University)
- John Wyatt (University College London)
- Richard Bellamy (University College London)
- Martin Loughlin (London School of Economics)
- Bill Kissane (London School of Economics)
- Verónica Rodriguez Blanco (University of Surrey)
- Sean Coyle (University of Birmingham)
- Laura Biron-Scott (St Augustine’s College)
- Tilo Schabert (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)
- Gábor Halmai (European University Institute)
- Mikael Madsen (University of Copenhagen)
- Kjersti Lohne (University of Oslo)
- Conor Casey (University of Liverpool)
- Gonzalo Candia (Catholic University of Chile)
- Thana De Campos Rudinsky (Catholic University of Chile)
- Gaëtan Cliquennois (University of Nantes)
- Andrea Polegato (California State University)
- Simon Kennedy (University of Qeensland)
- Oliver Lembcke (Ruhr University Bochum)
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