Thanks to Google books and B&N I’ve been reviewing the Journal of the Convention for forming a constitution of government for Massachusetts Bay, which began on September 1, 1779. Conducted some eight years before the famous Philadelphia Convention in 1787, the proceedings of this convention clearly show the process of conducting a constitutional convention was not created from whole cloth in Philadelphia. As scholars such as Wood have pointed, the American framers were, as a group, experienced with framing constitutions long before they secured permission from the Congress in 1786 to conduct a convention to amend and strengthen the Articles of Confederation.
The Next Age of Government
In Governance on March 2, 2010 at 8:20 amA friend forwarded this me, an interesting TED presentation by David Cameron, the head of Britain’s Conservative Party. It’s brief, but thematically I think it’s on point, and things like behavioral economics have even much deeper potential for political design.
Staging the Play of Zimbabwe’s Constitution
In Constitution-Making on February 21, 2010 at 9:08 amIn an interesting engagement of an ongoing constitution-making project, a playwright named Steven Chifunyise in Zimbabwe is currently putting on a play concerned with the country’s current issues with its constitution. According to a recent post on the play, Chifunyise is quoted commenting on the constitution and the play:
“What is wrong with the current one? Why was the 2000 constitution rejected? How achievable is a people-driven constitution? Who are the people? What are the dynamics of constitution-making? What fundamentals and ideals make a democratic constitution? Who are the custodians, enforcers and watchdogs of a democratic constitution?”
The playwright is asking some good questions about constitution-making, questions I haven’t always heard from those involved more directly in constitution-making.
I wonder if increased promotion of the arts in the early stages of constitution-making as a way of engaging more audiences should be advocated in future projects.