218 research outputs found
On the Paradox of State Religion and Religious Freedom
This essay explores the well-known tension between the commitment to a state religion and expressions of tolerance for other religions. The background question concerns the consequences of state religion, the more suspect of the two commitments, at least with respect to intergroup relations. A useful conception of state religion is as a central part of an identity regime, which can take several forms in national constitutions. It seems likely that state religionâand other exclusive elements of identity regimesâthreaten the national attachment of ethnic minorities in ways that unwind many of the benefits of tolerance provisions. A simple typology helps to understand the variation in these provisions across jurisdictions and over time, and original historical cross-national data on national constitutions describes this variation in some detail. The evidence suggests that the worldâs constitutions are moving in strikingly divergent directions with respect to their provisions on religion.Governmen
On the Evasion of Executive Term Limits
Executive term limits are pre-commitments through which the polity restricts its ability to retain a popular executive down the road. But in recent years, many presidents around the world have chosen to remain in office even after their initial maximum term in office has expired. They have
largely done so by amending the constitution, or sometimes by replacing it entirely. The practice of revising higher law for the sake of a particular incumbent raises intriguing issues that touch ultimately on the normative justification for term limits in the first place. This article reviews the normative debate over term limits and identifies the key claims of proponents and opponents. It
introduces the idea of characterizing term limits as a variety of default rule to be overcome if sufficient political support is apparent. It then turns to the historical evidence in order to assess the probability of attempts (both successful and unsuccessful) to evade term limits. It finds that, notwithstanding some high profile cases, term limits are observed with remarkable frequency.
The final section considers alternative institutional designs that might accomplish some of the goals of term limits, but finds that none is likely to provide a perfect substitute. Term limits have the advantage of clarity, making them relatively easy constitutional rules to enforce, and they should be considered an effective part of the arsenal of democratic institutions
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Can Institutions Build Unity in Multiethnic States?
We investigate whether political institutions can promote attachment to the state in multiethnic
societies. Building on literatures on nationalism, democratization, and conïŹict resolution, we discuss the importance of attachment, understood as a psychological identiïŹcation with, and pride in, the state. We construct a model of state attachment, specifying the individual-, group-, and state-level conditions that foster it. Then, using cross-national survey data from 51 multiethnic states, we show that, in general, ethnic minorities manifest less attachment to the states in which they reside than
do majorities. Combining the survey data with minority group attributes and country-level attributes,
we show that the attachment of minorities varies importantly across groups and countries. Our central
ïŹnding is that federalism and proportional electoral systemsââtwo highly touted solutions to ethnic
divisionsââhave at best mixed effects. These results have implications for state-building and democratic
consolidation in ethnically heterogeneous states.Governmen
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