The Legitimacy of European Constitutional Orders

A Comparative Inquiry

Edited by Marco Dani, Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Trento, Italy, Marco Goldoni, Professor of Philosophy of Law, School of Law, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK and Agustín José Menéndez, Associate Professor of Political Philosophy, Department of Philosophy and Society, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain

The Legitimacy of European Constitutional Orders is a systematic and comparative study of European constitutional orders, which takes into consideration the national constitutional trajectories of European countries, as well as the defining power of EU law. Drawing on a wealth of case studies, this book explores the conceptual tools needed to undertake comparative reconstruction and assessment of national and supranational constitutional developments in the European context.

‘This edited volume stands out in the literature for its genuinely innovative contribution to our understanding of postwar European constitutionalism. Analyzing European constitutional histories through the prism of Bruce Ackerman''s work on revolutionary constitutionalism, the chapters combine careful contextual analysis with US-style grand theory, offering the best of both worlds. By retelling the stories of our origins, this collection provides new insights and inspires us to think more deeply about where we are headed. It deserves a wide readership, both in Europe and beyond.’
– Michaela Hailbronner, University of Münster, Germany

‘A textured, polyphonic reply to Ackerman’s Revolutionary Constitutions, this highly readable volume offers fresh analyses of constitutional transformation in several European countries, connecting national experiences to supra-national developments and revisiting critically Ackerman’s taxonomies. An essential contribution to the literature on European constitutionalism and constitutional theory, this is comparative teamwork at its best.’
– Daniela Caruso, Boston University, US