Constitution
Rule of Law
In order for a state to function, perform its duties and work towards its goals, to create and apply laws, resolve disputes, make plans, and build and maintain infrastructure, it…
political-system-power Power sharing for a united Syria
Concepts of Democracy
The term democracy describes forms of government in which all state power derives from the people. A distinction is made between direct democracy (direct government by the people, for example…
Constitution
Human Rights
Human rights have been developed by humans and states in response to past injustices and acts of inhumanity. These rights guarantee that all human beings are respected and protected in…
Constitution
Transition Process
A transition process is generally understood as a mean a shift from a non-democratic regime, in particular an authoritarian or totalitarian one, to a democratic regime. The focus is thus…
geography scaled
Criteria for Creating Regions
The introduction of a federal system which distributes political power across multiple levels within a state is seen by many academics and practitioners as a promising and sustainable instrument for…
Constitution
Taxes and Resources
The following paper discusses the distribution of taxes and resources in multi-level systems of government (fiscal federalism), with a special focus on the relationship between various levels of government in…
political-system-power Power sharing for a united Syria
Division of Powers in Federal States
In systems with multiple levels of government, the question of how to divide powers among institutions is of critical importance. Which rights are afforded to which level of government and…
Constitution
Supreme Courts and Judicial Independence
As the British philosopher David Hume argued, constitutions must be devised for knaves. He believed that political actors will always try to manipulate the constitution in their own interest. Therefore,…
political-system-power Power sharing for a united Syria
Composition of Parliament
A parliament may have a variety of different names. In some states, they are called assemblies, in others, they are known as chambers, councils or congresses. Parliaments often exist even…
political-system-power Power sharing for a united Syria
Systems of Government
How much power should a president have and how can limits be placed on this power? How should the relationship between the president and the parliament be governed? Different government…
