Digital Commons Network^™

In most federal systems, constitutional decision-making occurs at both the national and subnational levels, and therefore, a more complete and accurate understanding of constitutional law requires careful study of subnational constitutional dynamics as well as the relationship between national and subnational issues. This articles reviews Constitutional Dynamics In Federal Systems – Subnational Perspectives (Michael Burgess & G Alan Tarr, eds., 2012) (“Constitutional Dynamics”), which includes studies analyzing issues of constitutional change in eleven different political systems from the unique perspective of subnational law and politics.

The article contends that this bottom-up perspective reveals two important themes. First, subnational politics have …