Constitution-making and International Relations Theories

Abstract

AbstractConstitution-making has become an intrinsic component of international politics, nevertheless, international relations scholars largely refrain from theorizing it tending to view formal constitutional drafting as a domestic project. The article proposes an understanding of constitution-making as an international (in addition to national) political phenomenon. We develop a new and comprehensive classification of international influences on constitution-making. We also demonstrate how the empirical study of constitution-making can illuminate overlooked areas of research and challenge existing international relations theories. Our focus here is on the study of international norms. We present three theoretical insights concerning the emergence of international norms, their dissemination, and the role of epistemic communities in facilitating their expansion. We conclude by highlighting how the interaction between international and domestic factors in the crafting of constitutions further challenges the disciplinary distinction between domestic and international politics.