Impeachment in a Global Context

‘A book for our troubled times. Monaghan, Huq, and Flinders have convened an exceptional cast of contributors to illuminate the uses and abuses of impeachment in a comparative context. From Africa to the Americas and from Asia to Europe, this outstanding volume draws from doctrine, history, and theory to highlight understudied problems and questions through riveting case studies that expose the many functions of impeachment as a check on executive power, as a device for accountability, and as a weapon for retribution in constitutional politics. “Impeachment in a Global Context” is a home run study of impeachment around the world.’

Richard Albert, Professor of World Constitutions, The University of Texas at Austin

‘Whether it is a judge, minister, or chief executive in removal proceedings, impeachment brings with it thorny legal questions and often intense political ramifications. Impeachment in a Global Context acknowledges and engages these difficulties by providing deeply contextualized accounts of impeachment within individual countries, set within a broader framing of comparative analysis and theoretical insight. From those systems in which impeachment is core to constitutional governance to countries where it is only newly emerging as a tool, the book’s breadth is a boon for scholars and practitioners interested in constitutional design. And the book’s empirical focus on how impeachment actually functions sheds important light on its normative desirability. In short, this deftly constructed volume will serve as an essential resource on impeachment long into the future.’

Erin F. Delaney, Professor of Law, Northwestern University

‘Impeachment looms large in the current US political imaginary. It also shapes democratic politics across presidential systems worldwide: it has been deployed on almost every continent in the last decade, in ways that served both to bolster and undermine commitments to democracy and rule of law. In this important new volume, Monaghan, Huq, and Flinders bring together a star-studded list of contributors to survey these trends, their underpinnings, and significance for our understanding of democratic constitutional design and practice.’

Rosalind Dixon, Professor of Law, University of New South Wales

‘Impeachment remains a central institution to constrain executive power, but it is often abused. This rich volume transcends the conventional study of impeachment proceedings in presidential regimes to show their role in semipresidential and parliamentary systems across the world. The contributors address the impact of impeachment on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.’

Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame