Despite its pervasiveness in practice, federalism has been strangely neglected by constitutional theory, tending to be subsumed within one default account of modern constitutionalism or treated as an exotic outlier - a sui generis model of the state rather than a form of constitutional ordering for the state. This neglect is both unsatisfactory in conceptual terms and problematic for constitutional practitioners, obscuring the core meaning, purpose, and applicability of federalism as a specific model of constitutionalism with which to organise territorially pluralised and demotically complex states. In fact, the federal contract represents a highly distinctive order of rule which requires a particular, 'territorialised' approach to core constitutional concepts: constituent power, the nature of sovereignty, subjecthood and citizenship, the relationship between institutions and constitutional authority, patterns of constitutional change, and ultimately the legitimacy link between constitutionalism and democracy. In rethinking the idea and practice of federalism, this lecture adopts a root and branch recalibration of the federal contract.

Guest: Stephen Tierney is Professor of Constitutional Theory at the University of Edinburgh and Global Professor of Law at Notre Dame, specializing in UK and comparative constitutional law, state theory, direct democracy, and federalism.

Date: 2 October 2025, 5:30 pm

Venue: Budapest, 1113 Tas vezér utca 3-7., Kinizsi Pál Room

 

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This event is open to the public.

 

MCC students can earn credit for actively participating in the event, provided they read the required chapters and paper(s) and prepare three questions for the Q&A session of the research seminar.

Questions related to the required reading must be submitted to Kálmán Pócza at pocza.kalman@mcc.hu by 11:00 PM on 30 September, 2025.

Required Reading: Please contact Kálmán Pócza to obtain the electronic version of the paper.

Submission Deadline: 30 September, 2025, 11:00 PM

 

 

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