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The System of the Constitution

Adrian Vermeule author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:12th Jan '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The System of the Constitution cover

A constitutional order is a system of systems. It is an aggregate of interacting institutions, which are themselves aggregates of interacting individuals. In The System of the Constitution, Adrian Vermeule analyzes constitutionalism through the lens of systems theory, originally developed in biology, computer science, political science and other disciplines. Systems theory illuminates both the structural constitution and constitutional judging, and reveals that standard views and claims about constitutional theory commit fallacies of aggregation and are thus invalid. By contrast, Vermeule explains and illustrates an approach to constitutionalism that considers the systemic interactions of legal and political institutions and of the individuals who act within them.

"In this iconoclastic and provocative book, Adrian Vermeule brings a sharp understanding of institutional dynamics and processes to bear on central issues in constitutional analysis. In doing so he unsettles much received wisdom and shows how many arguments in constitutional theory have relied on static or fallacious models of how actors respond in ongoing constitutional systems. This is clarifying and important work at the intersection of political science and law, and deserves to be widely read in both fields."--Jacob T. Levy, McGill University

ISBN: 9780199838455

Dimensions: 163mm x 236mm x 23mm

Weight: 431g

232 pages