Forms of Constitution Making and Theories of Democracy

There are those who still think that constitution making is a task that rests wholly within the realm of lawyers. Indeed, all constitutional texts in modem times have been drafted by lawyers. Behind the texts, however, are the most important political actors and forces of a given society, persuading some interpreters to take the view that constitution making represents the work of the political, of political politics, and of le pouvoir constituant. In such a conception, whoever holds the constituent power, or acts in its name, hires the lawyers. But does the method of constitution making really matter? Either way, the method itself may be deemed epiphenomenal-a formalistic facade either for the activity of experts or for the fundamental self-expression of an unlimited sovereign power

Reflexive Law, Civil Society, and Negative Rights

Jurgen Habermas has remained faithful to the heritage of Critical Theory-to the method and perspective of imminent social criticism. His concept of paradigm is fully intelligible only in context of such background. It means, first and foremost, enlightenment concerning a given society with a normative project in mind-in the present case, the actualization of the system of rights. Thus, a paradigm is a form of diagnosis, based on the rational reconstruction of forms of consciousness, filtered and synthesized into theory, that seeks to orient action. At all points, the construction of paradigms refers to a social totality which is subjected to critique

Emergencia, declive y reconstrucción del concepto de sociedad civil. Pautas para análisis futuros

Not available.El concepto de sociedad civil ha cobrado especial relevancia en el ámbito de la teoría política de la democracia por su potencialidad analítica para el estudio de las transiciones desde regímenes dictatoriales a otros democráticos, así como para identificar nuevas esferas susceptibles de profundización democrática en el seno de las democracias realmente existentes. Tomando como base empírica de referencia las experiencias democratizadoras acaecidas en Europa Central y del Este, en el artículo se pasa revista a las principales objeciones teóricas al uso contemporáneo del concepto de sociedad civil y se apuntan algunas áreas de investigación que contribuirían al proyecto permanente de ensanchamiento democrático

Aprendizaje constitucional

El autor realiza un análisis de los problemas que se pueden suscitar en los procesos de elaboración constitucional llevados a cabo por las nuevas democracias emergentes. En un recorrido que nos lleva desde Budapest hasta Filadelfia, pata terminar en Sudáfrica, se discuten los aspectos relacionados con la legitimidad de estos procesos: el aprendizaje, los reglamentos de enmienda, los procedimientos a seguir, la publicidad, el consenso, la pluralidad y la "reflectividad", es decir, la capacidad de autocontrol y automodificación de una constitución. Se examina el caso de Sudáfrica, al que toma como modelo político con objeto de sortear con éxito los obstáculos que se le presentan al legislador moderno cuando aspira a elaborar una constitución a la altura de las circunstancias y necesidades actuales y futuras de una nación democrática.The author analyzes the constitution-making problems encountered by the new emerging democracies. In a journey that takes us from Budapest to Philadelphia, only to end in South Africa, the author especially discusses the aspects related with the legitimy of this process: learning, amendment rules, procedures to be follow, publicity, consensus, plurality and reflectivity, i.e., the self-correction and self-development means of a constitution. He examines the South African case, as a political model that offers many opportunities to learn how to successfully solve the problems faced by the modem constitution makers, to achieve a constitution that will meet today's and tomorrow's needs of a new democracy