What Should Constitutions Do?

The essays in this volume - written by prominent philosophers political scientists and legal scholars - address the basic purposes of constitutions and their status as fundamental law. Some deal with specific constitutional provisions: they ask for example which branches of government should have the authority to conduct foreign policy or how the judiciary should be organized or what role a preamble should play in a nation''s founding document. Other essays explore questions of constitutional design: they consider the advantages of a federal system of government or the challenges of designing a constitution for a pluralistic society - or they ask what form of constitution best promotes personal liberty and economic prosperity.