ABSTRACT
Over the past half-century, democratic constitutional design has undergone
a sea change. After the Second World War, newly independent countries
tended simply to copy the basic constitutional rules of their former colonial
masters, without seriously considering alternatives. Today, constitution wri-
ters choose more deliberately among a wide array of constitutional models,
with various advantages and disadvantages. While at first glance this
appears to be a beneficial development, it has actually been a mixed bles-
sing: Since they now have to deal with more alternatives than they can readily handle, constitution writers risk making ill advised decisions. In my
opinion, scholarly experts can be more helpful to constitution writers by
formulating specific recommendations and guidelines than by overwhelming
those who must make the decision with a barrage of possibilities and
options.
