Diffusion and the Constitutionalization of Europe

Abstract

This article begins with a rather forceful defense of the explanatory role of formal institutions-and, in particular, constitutions-in the study of democratization. Important aspects of constitutions play a significant part in shaping the quality, type, and survival of institutional arrangements in new democracies. With this assumption, the article turns seriously to theories of constitutional design, any of which must grapple with the overwhelming prima facie evidence of constitutional diffusion. It is well known that constitutional ideas travel easily across contexts. However, scholars until now have lacked even basic empirical evidence regarding the patterns of constitutional similarity across time and space. This article introduces exactly this sort of evidence in the context of 19th-century Europe, employing a new data set expressly designed for such a purpose. The analysis uncovers a number of new insights regarding the spread of constitutional ideas in Europe, insights that disturb some of the classic narratives of democratization in these cases.

Should Immigrants Culturally Assimilate or Preserve Their Own Culture? Individual Beliefs and the Longevity of National Identity

“…On the one hand, acting as a perceived threat to national identity (see, e.g., Quillian 1995, Ceobanu andEscandell 2010), persistence of a foreign culture in the host society is bound to erode the natives' perceived strength of national identity (see, e.g., Hillman We contend that, all else equal, the longevity of national identity matters for natives' preferences about the need for immigrants' assimilation because the longevity of national identity shapes the perceived resilience of national identity in the face of an alternative-immigrantculture. Consistent with the literature on nationalism and the nation state (see, e.g., Smith 1978, Meyer et al 1997, Greenfeld 1992, Leerssen 2011, Elkins 2010, Wimmer 2012, we view national identity as a cultural phenomenon that diffuses through social networks. In a polity where a sense of a common national identity has permeated social networks for a long period of time (c=o, where o stands for old), national identity will tend to be well-entrenched.…”

Institutional Diffusion, Strategic Insurance, and the Creation of West African Constitutional Courts

“…Europe's constitutionalization was shaped by diffusion two centuries ago, and African constitutions were also not drafted from scratch. 33 Hence, it is not a question of whether diffusion appeared but rather to what extent and along which lines. We assume that constitution drafters with different priorities or a lack of information resources stick to the easiest solution, which is the best-known model.…”

Policy Diffusion: A Regime‐sensitive Conceptual Framework

“…We expect different types of authoritarian and democratic regimes to follow different routes that may eventually result in the adoption of a policy innovation. Furthermore, we take into account the notion of ‘sources of external inspiration’ (Elkins, , p. 987). Regardless of the regime type, we expect policy makers to have a higher propensity to adopt policy innovations that originate from a jurisdiction that is similar to their own or from an international organization they recognize or are a member of (see Elkins and Simmons, ).…”