The Constitution of a Sustainable Democracy

Chairs
• Ginevra Cerrina Feroni g.cerrinaferoni@gpdp.it
• Andrea Gatti andrea.gatti.1@unipd.it
• Luca Bolognini luca@lucabolognini.it
• Edoardo Raffiotta edoardo.raffiotta@unimib.it
• Andrea Pin andrea.pin@unidp.it

Decades ago, a significant interdisciplinary reflection took place regarding the optimal constitutional designs for achieving better democracies. This led to debates concerning parliamentarianism versus presidentialism, electoral systems, territorial organisation, and superior forms of constitutional justice, inter alia. However, this reflection on institutional designs for democracy tended to be abandoned due to a certain disdain for so-called ‘constitutional engineering’. Nevertheless, we believe that in the face of the current democratic decline, such reflection is indispensable.

The workshop will therefore discuss whether specific constitutional designs exist that are better suited than others to deepen democracy, render it more sustainable, and confront democratic decline. The objective is to receive papers addressing debates on the schemes that best defend and deepen democracy, whether regarding the form of government, territorial organisation, electoral systems, judicial organisation, the protection of rights, etc.