In recent decades, constitution-making has become a much more international and comparative exercise than it was previously, with the result that democratizing or redemocratizing countries are more open to a wide range of institutions than they were previously. The seminar deals with many of the most common issues confronted by constitutional designers. In addition to such specific questions, however, it considers three overarching issues: (1) What are the sources of constitutional change, and what governs the choice of designers when they borrow institutions from abroad? (2) Are such institutions able to have a benign effect on ethnic and religious conflict? (3) What determines whether apt designs can in fact be adopted and by what mode they will be adopted? This short course will give consideration to these issues.

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