How to investigate a constitutional culture?: The case for the focus group method in comparative constitutional studies
By Eoin Carolan, Silvia Gagliardi, and Daniela Rodriguez Gutierrez Abstract This article makes the case for the use of focus groups as a method with particular relevance to the field of comparative constitutional studies. The article begins with a brief overview of the most common approaches to accounts of constitutional culture. It then explains how […]
Public opinion as a foundation of de facto judicial independence?: lessons from Argentina and Uruguay
By Demian Iglesias Seifert, Daniela Rodriguez Gutierrez, and Eoin Carolan Abstract It is anecdotally clear from experiences in various countries that the perception that judicial independence is under threat can mobilise significant public opposition. The extent to which the public may oppose measures that impinge on judicial autonomy has clear implications for de facto judicial […]
We are hiring
Applications are invited for a Research Assistant in Constitutional/Comparative Law on an ERC-funded project, The Foundations of Institutional Authority (FIAT) at the Centre for Constitutional Studies in University College Dublin. The project investigates the factors that contribute to the establishment and maintenance of constitutional governance and the rule of law across six case studies. The […]
Right-wing populism reaches Argentina
By Demian Iglesias Seifert & Somsubhra Banerjee A recent Loop article by Massimo D’Angelo explored the election of right-wing contender Javier Milei in the primary polls. The withdrawal of ex-presidents Macri and Fernandez de Kirchner from the race led to victory for the libertarian nominee. Building on D’Angelo’s piece, Demian Iglesias Seifert and Somsubhra Banerjee contend that this unexpected […]
Sweden Democrats: another win for right-wing populism and illiberalism in Europe?
By Orlaith Rice Frustration with integration policy and fear of crime, two issues which Swedish political rhetoric and public opinion increasingly conflates, fuel the Sweden Democrats’ onward journey into mainstream politics. Orlaith Rice considers where this party sits under labels of populism and illiberalism In her recent piece for The Loop, Gefjon Off discusses how the Sweden Democrats […]
Has Right-Wing Populism Reached Argentina?
By Demian Iglesias Seifert Last Sunday, August 13, Argentina held elections to determine the candidates who will run in next October’s national presidential elections. In a surprising turn of events, the far-right candidate Javier Milei, an outsider that started in politics around 2019, surged ahead in the preliminary elections, sending shockwaves through Argentina’s political landscape. Milei won […]
Swedish Exceptionalism: Pandemic Response, Public Trust, and Constitutional Design
By Orlaith Rice Sweden’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic is one that has attracted global commentary. It has been categorised as ‘the EU’s exception’, a ‘pariah state’, and been labelled ‘anti-lockdown’, ‘experimental’, ‘light-touch’, and ‘naïve’. Since Covid-19 was first declared a pandemic in March 2020, Sweden has never imposed a national lockdown, enforced general quarantine […]
English (UK) 
Magyar 
Svenska 
Polski 
Español