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{{Short description|Description of a set of data projects widely used in political science and law}}
{{Short description|Academic study of the world's constitutions}}{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
⚫
The '''Comparative Constitutions Project''' is an [[Research|academic study]] of the content of the world's [[constitutions]] from 1789 to 2022, with yearly updates. The project was founded by Zachary Elkins and [[Tom Ginsburg]] in 2005 when they were colleagues at the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois]] and fellows at the Cline Center for Advanced Social Research.<ref>The American Bar Foundation. "The Comparative Constitutions Project." 2013. ''Researching Law'' [https://www.americanbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/rl_vol._24_no._4_fall_2013.pdf Vol. 24, No. 4. https://www.americanbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/rl_vol._24_no._4_fall_2013.pdf]</ref> The primary objective of the project is to understand the origins and consequences of constitutional choices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-08 |title=Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design |url=https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Comparative Constitutions Project |language=en-US}}</ref> Most of the [[seed money]] for the project came from the Cline Center, as well as two successive grants from the [[National Science Foundation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Comparative Constitutions Project {{!}} Cline Center |url=https://clinecenter.illinois.edu/project/CollaborativeResearch/comparative-constitutions-project |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=clinecenter.illinois.edu}}</ref><ref>Elkins, Zachary and Tom Ginsburg. "Formal Characteristics of National Constitutions: A Cross-National Historical Dataset." National Science Foundation, Award Nos. 0648288 and 0819102. Online at https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0648288&HistoricalAwards=false and https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0819102&HistoricalAwards=false</ref> James Melton, a [[Postgraduate education|graduate]] student at [[Illinois]], joined Elkins and Ginsburg as a full collaborator before leaving [[Academic procession|academia]] in 2015. The project continues to be administered by Elkins and Ginsburg as a [[collaboration]] between the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] and the [[University of Chicago]], where they are based, respectively.<ref>"Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design". ''Comparative Constitutions Project''. 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-09-13.</ref><ref>Alex Reshanov. "Laws of the Lands: Exploring the World's Constitutions." ''Life and Letters.'' March 22, 2023.</ref>
{{Underlinked|date=September 2023}}


== Project datasets ==
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
⚫
[[Data]] from the project is used primarily by [[Scholar|scholars]] of [[comparative politics]] and [[comparative law]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Comparative constitutions project (CCP) |url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=mhIGFq8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=mhIGFq8AAAAJ:3ssty3PwuTgC |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=scholar.google.com}}</ref> The data, particularly the repository of indexed texts (constitute), are also widely used by constitutional drafters to guide the [[inventory]] and choices of [[Constitution|constitutional]] drafters.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Mix and match |url=https://www.economist.com/international/2013/11/09/mix-and-match |access-date=2024-07-10 |work=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>
⚫
'''The Comparative Constitutions Project''' is an [[Research|academic study]] of the content of the world's [[constitutions]] from 1789 to 2022, with yearly updates. The project was founded by Zachary Elkins and [[Tom Ginsburg]] in 2022 when they were colleagues at the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois]] and fellows at the Cline Center for Advanced Social Research.<ref>The American Bar Foundation. "The Comparative Constitutions Project." 2013. ''Researching Law'' [https://www.americanbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/rl_vol._24_no._4_fall_2013.pdf Vol. 24, No. 4. https://www.americanbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/rl_vol._24_no._4_fall_2013.pdf]</ref> The primary objective of the project is to understand the origins and consequences of constitutional choices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-08 |title=Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design |url=https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Comparative Constitutions Project |language=en-US}}</ref> Most of the [[seed money]] for the project came from the Cline Center, as well as two successive grants from the [[National Science Foundation]].<ref>"Comparative Constitutions Project." https://clinecenter.illinois.edu/project/CollaborativeResearch/comparative-constitutions-project</ref><ref>Elkins, Zachary and Tom Ginsburg. "Formal Characteristics of National Constitutions: A Cross-National Historical Dataset." National Science Foundation, Award Nos. 0648288 and 0819102. Online at https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0648288&HistoricalAwards=false and https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0819102&HistoricalAwards=false</ref> James Melton, a [[Postgraduate education|graduate]] student at [[Illinois]], joined Elkins and Ginsburg as a full collaborator before leaving [[Academic procession|academia]] in 2015. The project continues to be administered by Elkins and Ginsburg as a [[collaboration]] between the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] and the [[University of Chicago]], where they are based, respectively.<ref>"Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design". ''Comparative Constitutions Project''. 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-09-13.</ref><ref>Alex Reshanov. "Laws of the Lands: Exploring the World's Constitutions." ''Life and Letters.'' March 22, 2023.</ref>


== Project Datasets ==
=== Constitutional events ===
⚫
A first stage of the project has entailed the [[documentation]], or [[census]], of each historical constitutional "event" (e.g., replacement, amendment, suspension, etc.) for each of the countries included in the sample.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-08 |title=Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design |url=https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/ |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=Comparative Constitutions Project |language=en-US}}</ref> This [[Chronology|chronological]] dataset is published as the "[[Chronology]] of Constitutional Events."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-01 |title=Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design |url=https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Comparative Constitutions Project |language=en-US}}</ref> The sample includes every recognized [[Independence|independent state]] in the Ward and Gleditsch list<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gleditsch |first1=Kristian S. |last2=Ward |first2=Michael D. |date=1999-12-01 |title=A revised list of independent states since the congress of Vienna |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03050629908434958 |journal=International Interactions |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=393–413 |doi=10.1080/03050629908434958 |issn=0305-0629}}</ref> (including most [[Microstate|microstates]]) in existence for at least ''some'' period since 1789. This recording of events has been useful to researchers who study [[Institution|institutional reform]] historically, has become a standard accounting of the [[census]] of historical [[Constitution|constitutions]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Elkins |first1=Zachary |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511817595 |title=The Endurance of National Constitutions |last2=Ginsburg |first2=Tom |last3=Melton |first3=James |date=2009-10-12 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/cbo9780511817595 |isbn=978-0-521-73132-4}}</ref><ref>Cite to the event data </ref> Currently, the project lists the existence of 799 constitutional "[[System|systems]]" since 1789, 2,999 amendments to these 799 systems, 85 suspensions, 66 reinstated constitutions, and 95 [[Provisional government|interim]] constitutions.<ref>Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. "Chronology of Constitutional Events, v.1.3." Online at [https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/ https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org]</ref> The project maintains a [[Visualization (graphics)|visualization]] of these [[chronologies]].
⚫
[[Data]] from the project is used primarily by [[Scholar|scholars]] of [[comparative politics]] and [[comparative law]].<ref>"Comparative Constitutions Project." Google Scholar Citations. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=mhIGFq8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=mhIGFq8AAAAJ:3ssty3PwuTgC</ref> The data, particularly the repository of indexed texts (constitute), are also widely used by constitutional drafters to guide the [[inventory]] and choices of [[Constitution|constitutional]] drafter's.<ref>''The Economist''. "Mix and Match: Countries change their constitutions often. There’s an app for that." November 9, 2019. https://www.economist.com/international/2013/11/09/mix-and-match</ref>


=== Constitutional Events ===
=== Constitutional texts ===
⚫
The project's researchers have collected the text for nearly every system (in the year of its enactment) as well as most of the amendments to these systems. (They list a set of "most wanted" texts for those that they are missing<ref>"CCP’s Most Wanted Texts." Post from September 5, 2018. [https://comparative https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org]</ref>). They maintain an indexed repository of these texts on Constitute, an [[online]] tool that the researchers built with [[Engineer|engineers]] at [[Google]] (see below).{{cn|date=September 2023}}
⚫
A first stage of the project has entailed the [[documentation]], or [[census]], of each historical constitutional "event" (e.g., replacement, amendment, suspension, etc.) for each of the countries included in the sample.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-08 |title=Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design |url=https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/ |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=Comparative Constitutions Project |language=en-US}}</ref> This [[Chronology|chronological]] dataset is published as the "[[Chronology]] of Constitutional Events."<ref>Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. "Chronology of Constitutional Events, v.1.3." Online at https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org</ref> The sample includes every recognized [[Independence|independent state]] in the Ward and Gleditsch list<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gleditsch |first1=Kristian S. |last2=Ward |first2=Michael D. |date=1999-12-01 |title=A revised list of independent states since the congress of Vienna |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03050629908434958 |journal=International Interactions |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=393–413 |doi=10.1080/03050629908434958 |issn=0305-0629}}</ref> (including most [[Microstate|microstates]]) in existence for at least ''some'' period since 1789. This recording of events has been useful to researchers who study [[Institution|institutional reform]] historically, has become a standard accounting of the [[census]] of historical [[Constitution|constitutions]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Elkins |first1=Zachary |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511817595 |title=The Endurance of National Constitutions |last2=Ginsburg |first2=Tom |last3=Melton |first3=James |date=2009-10-12 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/cbo9780511817595 |isbn=978-0-521-73132-4}}</ref><ref>Cite to the event data </ref> Currently, the project lists the existence of 799 constitutional "[[System|systems]]" since 1789, 2,999 amendments to these 799 systems, 85 suspensions, 66 reinstated constitutions, and 95 [[interim]] constitutions.<ref>Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. "Chronology of Constitutional Events, v.1.3." Online at [https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/ https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org]</ref> The project maintains a [[Visualization (graphics)|visualization]] of these [[chronologies]].


=== Constitutional Texts ===
=== Characteristics of constitutions ===
⚫
A central, component of the project is the coding of some 650 characteristics of constitutions (and their revisions, aggregated yearly). These [[data]] are disseminated in a [[Data set|dataset]] published yearly as the "Characteristics of National Constitutions."<ref>Characteristics of National Constitutions. Documentation and Data. To be completed</ref> More than 200 studies have [[employed]] the data for the [[analysis]] of the origins and effects of constitutional choices, as well as a description of institutional forms over time.<ref>"Comparative Constitutions Project." Google Scholar Citations. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=mhIGFq8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=mhIGFq8AAAAJ:3ssty3PwuTgC </ref> The authors have published several studies about the reliability and comparability of the data.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Melton |first1=James |last2=Elkins |first2=Zachary |last3=Ginsburg |first3=Tom |last4=Leetaru |first4=Kalev |date=2012-10-09 |title=On the Interpretability of Law: Lessons from the Decoding of National Constitutions |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007123412000361 |journal=British Journal of Political Science |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=399–423 |doi=10.1017/s0007123412000361 |hdl=2152/22252 |s2cid=28979765 |issn=0007-1234|hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Elkins |first1=Zachary |last2=Ginsburg |first2=Tom |date=2021-05-11 |title=What Can We Learn from Written Constitutions? |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-100720-102911 |journal=Annual Review of Political Science |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=321–343 |doi=10.1146/annurev-polisci-100720-102911 |s2cid=233925573 |issn=1094-2939}}</ref>
⚫
The project's researchers have collected the text for nearly every system (in the year of its enactment) as well as most of the amendments to these systems. (They list a set of "most wanted" texts for those that they are missing<ref>"CCP’s Most Wanted Texts." Post from September 5, 2018. [https://comparative https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org]</ref>). They maintain an indexed repository of these texts on [https://www.constituteproject.org/ Constitute], an [[online]] tool that the researchers built with [[Engineer|engineers]] at [[Google]] (see below).


=== Characteristics of Constitutions ===
=== Related data ===
⚫
A number of data projects have spun off from the project's core sets of data. For example, some data projects have recorded information about the process of constitution making.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Blount |first1=Justin |title=Does the Process of Constitution-Making Matter? |date=2012-02-27 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139105712.004 |work=Comparative Constitutional Design |pages=31–66 |access-date=2023-09-13 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |last2=Elkins |first2=Zachary |last3=Ginsburg |first3=Tom|doi=10.1017/cbo9781139105712.004 |hdl=2152/22257 |isbn=9781139105712 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Other researchers have deepened the topic coverage by coding topics in more detail. The project [[Site map|site maps]] some of these related data projects through a set of [[Standardization|standardized]] topics ([[Ontology (information science)|ontology]]), for which the team received a third grant from the [[National Science Foundation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NSF Award Search: Award # 2315189 - Concept Integration in Comparative Law: Linking Constitutional, Consultation, and Court Analysis |url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2315189&HistoricalAwards=false |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=www.nsf.gov}}</ref>
⚫
A central, component of the project is the coding of some 650 characteristics of constitutions (and their revisions, aggregated yearly). These [[data]] are disseminated in a [[Data set|dataset]] published yearly as the "Characteristics of National Constitutions."<ref>Characteristics of National Constitutions. Documentation and Data. To be completed</ref> More than 200 studies have [[employed]] the data for the [[analysis]] of the origins and effects of constitutional choices, as well as a description of institutional forms over time.<ref>"Comparative Constitutions Project." Google Scholar Citations. <nowiki>https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=mhIGFq8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=mhIGFq8AAAAJ:3ssty3PwuTgC</nowiki></ref> The authors have published several studies about the reliability and comparability of the data.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Melton |first1=James |last2=Elkins |first2=Zachary |last3=Ginsburg |first3=Tom |last4=Leetaru |first4=Kalev |date=2012-10-09 |title=On the Interpretability of Law: Lessons from the Decoding of National Constitutions |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007123412000361 |journal=British Journal of Political Science |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=399–423 |doi=10.1017/s0007123412000361 |hdl=2152/22252 |s2cid=28979765 |issn=0007-1234}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Elkins |first1=Zachary |last2=Ginsburg |first2=Tom |date=2021-05-11 |title=What Can We Learn from Written Constitutions? |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-100720-102911 |journal=Annual Review of Political Science |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=321–343 |doi=10.1146/annurev-polisci-100720-102911 |s2cid=233925573 |issn=1094-2939}}</ref>


⚫
== Repository of texts (Constitute) ==
=== Related Data ===
⚫
In 2013, CCP teamed up with [[Google Ideas]] (now [[Jigsaw (company)|Jigsaw]]) to launch Constitute, an indexed repository of currently-in-force constitutional texts.<ref>Fareed Zakaria. {{Citation |title=Last Look: Google's constitution database {{!}} CNN |date=2013-09-30 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2013/09/30/exp-gps-0929-last-look-constitution.cnn |access-date=2023-09-19 |language=en}}</ref> The point of Constitute is to provide representative text for each of 330 constitutional topics for constitutional drafters throughout the world. The site has been localized in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Arabic]], which include a small number of texts translated into those languages.<ref>"Constitute in Arabic and Spanish."
⚫
A number of data projects have spun off from the project's core sets of data. For example, some data projects have recorded information about the process of constitution making.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Blount |first1=Justin |title=Does the Process of Constitution-Making Matter? |date=2012-02-27 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139105712.004 |work=Comparative Constitutional Design |pages=31–66 |access-date=2023-09-13 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |last2=Elkins |first2=Zachary |last3=Ginsburg |first3=Tom|doi=10.1017/cbo9781139105712.004 |hdl=2152/22257 |isbn=9781139105712 }}</ref> Other researchers have deepened the topic coverage by coding topics in more detail. The project [[Site map|site maps]] some of these related data projects through a set of [[Standardization|standardized]] topics ([[Ontology (information science)|ontology]]), for which the team received a third grant from the [[National Science Foundation]].<ref>Zachary Elkins (PI). "Concept Integration in Comparative Law: Linking Constitutional, Consultation, and Court Analysis."https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2315189&HistoricalAwards=false</ref>


⚫
https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/arabic-constitute/</ref> The site receives some 7,000 visitors a day and has won a number of awards for [[Civic technology|civic tech]] contributions and [[information design]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.constituteproject.org/content/media | title=Constitute }}</ref> Psycle Interactive, a digital production company based in the UK, has worked closely with the team since 2013.{{cn|date=September 2023}}
⚫
== Repository of Texts (Constitute) ==
⚫
In 2013, CCP teamed up with [[Google Ideas]] (now [[Jigsaw (company)|Jigsaw]]) to launch Constitute, an indexed repository of currently-in-force constitutional texts.<ref>Fareed Zakaria. {{Citation |title=Last Look: Google's constitution database {{!}} CNN |date=2013-09-30 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2013/09/30/exp-gps-0929-last-look-constitution.cnn |access-date=2023-09-19 |language=en}}</ref> The point of Constitute is to provide representative text for each of 330 constitutional topics for constitutional drafters throughout the world. The site has been localized in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Arabic]], which include a small number of texts translated into those languages.<ref>"Constitute in Arabic and Spanish."


⚫
=== Semantic web and controlled vocabularies ===
⚫
https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/arabic-constitute/</ref> The site receives some 7,000 visitors a day and has won a number of awards for civic tech contributions and [[information design]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.constituteproject.org/content/media | title=Constitute }}</ref>

⚫
=== Semantic Web and Controlled Vocabularies ===
The data model for the site, which has evolved since 2013, represents one of the early uses of [[Semantic Web]] technology.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Elkins |first1=Zachary |last2=Ginsburg |first2=Tom |last3=Melton |first3=James |last4=Shaffer |first4=Robert |last5=Sequeda |first5=Juan |last6=Miranker |first6=Daniel P. |date=2014 |title=Constitute: The World's Constitutions to Read, Search, and Compare |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3199104 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |doi=10.2139/ssrn.3199104 |issn=1556-5068}}</ref> A central focus of the project has been the articulation of a [[Standardization|standardized vocabulary]] to track constitutional topics and to link various [[Data set|datasets]] on constitutions and [[politics]].
The data model for the site, which has evolved since 2013, represents one of the early uses of [[Semantic Web]] technology.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Elkins |first1=Zachary |last2=Ginsburg |first2=Tom |last3=Melton |first3=James |last4=Shaffer |first4=Robert |last5=Sequeda |first5=Juan |last6=Miranker |first6=Daniel P. |date=2014 |title=Constitute: The World's Constitutions to Read, Search, and Compare |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3199104 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |doi=10.2139/ssrn.3199104 |issn=1556-5068}}</ref> A central focus of the project has been the articulation of a [[Standardization|standardized vocabulary]] to track constitutional topics and to link various [[Data set|datasets]] on constitutions and [[politics]].


== References ==
== References ==

{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Constitutions]]
{{Uncategorized|date=September 2023}}
[[Category:Research]]
[[Category:Comparisons]]

Latest revision as of 21:03, 17 July 2024

The Comparative Constitutions Project is an academic study of the content of the world's constitutions from 1789 to 2022, with yearly updates. The project was founded by Zachary Elkins and Tom Ginsburg in 2005 when they were colleagues at the University of Illinois and fellows at the Cline Center for Advanced Social Research.[1] The primary objective of the project is to understand the origins and consequences of constitutional choices.[2] Most of the seed money for the project came from the Cline Center, as well as two successive grants from the National Science Foundation.[3][4] James Melton, a graduate student at Illinois, joined Elkins and Ginsburg as a full collaborator before leaving academia in 2015. The project continues to be administered by Elkins and Ginsburg as a collaboration between the University of Texas and the University of Chicago, where they are based, respectively.[5][6]

Project datasets

[edit]

Data from the project is used primarily by scholars of comparative politics and comparative law.[7] The data, particularly the repository of indexed texts (constitute), are also widely used by constitutional drafters to guide the inventory and choices of constitutional drafters.[8]

Constitutional events

[edit]

A first stage of the project has entailed the documentation, or census, of each historical constitutional "event" (e.g., replacement, amendment, suspension, etc.) for each of the countries included in the sample.[9] This chronological dataset is published as the "Chronology of Constitutional Events."[10] The sample includes every recognized independent state in the Ward and Gleditsch list[11] (including most microstates) in existence for at least some period since 1789. This recording of events has been useful to researchers who study institutional reform historically, has become a standard accounting of the census of historical constitutions.[12][13] Currently, the project lists the existence of 799 constitutional "systems" since 1789, 2,999 amendments to these 799 systems, 85 suspensions, 66 reinstated constitutions, and 95 interim constitutions.[14] The project maintains a visualization of these chronologies.

Constitutional texts

[edit]

The project's researchers have collected the text for nearly every system (in the year of its enactment) as well as most of the amendments to these systems. (They list a set of "most wanted" texts for those that they are missing[15]). They maintain an indexed repository of these texts on Constitute, an online tool that the researchers built with engineers at Google (see below).[citation needed]

Characteristics of constitutions

[edit]

A central, component of the project is the coding of some 650 characteristics of constitutions (and their revisions, aggregated yearly). These data are disseminated in a dataset published yearly as the "Characteristics of National Constitutions."[16] More than 200 studies have employed the data for the analysis of the origins and effects of constitutional choices, as well as a description of institutional forms over time.[17] The authors have published several studies about the reliability and comparability of the data.[18][19]

[edit]

A number of data projects have spun off from the project's core sets of data. For example, some data projects have recorded information about the process of constitution making.[20] Other researchers have deepened the topic coverage by coding topics in more detail. The project site maps some of these related data projects through a set of standardized topics (ontology), for which the team received a third grant from the National Science Foundation.[21]

Repository of texts (Constitute)

[edit]

In 2013, CCP teamed up with Google Ideas (now Jigsaw) to launch Constitute, an indexed repository of currently-in-force constitutional texts.[22] The point of Constitute is to provide representative text for each of 330 constitutional topics for constitutional drafters throughout the world. The site has been localized in Spanish and Arabic, which include a small number of texts translated into those languages.[23] The site receives some 7,000 visitors a day and has won a number of awards for civic tech contributions and information design.[24] Psycle Interactive, a digital production company based in the UK, has worked closely with the team since 2013.[citation needed]

Semantic web and controlled vocabularies

[edit]

The data model for the site, which has evolved since 2013, represents one of the early uses of Semantic Web technology.[25] A central focus of the project has been the articulation of a standardized vocabulary to track constitutional topics and to link various datasets on constitutions and politics.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ The American Bar Foundation. "The Comparative Constitutions Project." 2013. Researching Law Vol. 24, No. 4. https://www.americanbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/rl_vol._24_no._4_fall_2013.pdf
  2. ^ "Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design". Comparative Constitutions Project. August 8, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  3. ^ "Comparative Constitutions Project | Cline Center". clinecenter.illinois.edu. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  4. ^ Elkins, Zachary and Tom Ginsburg. "Formal Characteristics of National Constitutions: A Cross-National Historical Dataset." National Science Foundation, Award Nos. 0648288 and 0819102. Online at https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0648288&HistoricalAwards=false and https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0819102&HistoricalAwards=false
  5. ^ "Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design". Comparative Constitutions Project. 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  6. ^ Alex Reshanov. "Laws of the Lands: Exploring the World's Constitutions." Life and Letters. March 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Comparative constitutions project (CCP)". scholar.google.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  8. ^ "Mix and match". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  9. ^ "Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design". Comparative Constitutions Project. August 8, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "Comparative Constitutions Project - Informing Constitutional Design". Comparative Constitutions Project. December 1, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Gleditsch, Kristian S.; Ward, Michael D. (December 1, 1999). "A revised list of independent states since the congress of Vienna". International Interactions. 25 (4): 393–413. doi:10.1080/03050629908434958. ISSN 0305-0629.
  12. ^ Elkins, Zachary; Ginsburg, Tom; Melton, James (October 12, 2009). The Endurance of National Constitutions. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511817595. ISBN 978-0-521-73132-4.
  13. ^ Cite to the event data
  14. ^ Elkins, Zachary, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton. "Chronology of Constitutional Events, v.1.3." Online at https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org
  15. ^ "CCP’s Most Wanted Texts." Post from September 5, 2018. https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org
  16. ^ Characteristics of National Constitutions. Documentation and Data. To be completed
  17. ^ "Comparative Constitutions Project." Google Scholar Citations. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=mhIGFq8AAAAJ&citation_for_view=mhIGFq8AAAAJ:3ssty3PwuTgC
  18. ^ Melton, James; Elkins, Zachary; Ginsburg, Tom; Leetaru, Kalev (October 9, 2012). "On the Interpretability of Law: Lessons from the Decoding of National Constitutions". British Journal of Political Science. 43 (2): 399–423. doi:10.1017/s0007123412000361. hdl:2152/22252. ISSN 0007-1234. S2CID 28979765.
  19. ^ Elkins, Zachary; Ginsburg, Tom (May 11, 2021). "What Can We Learn from Written Constitutions?". Annual Review of Political Science. 24 (1): 321–343. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-100720-102911. ISSN 1094-2939. S2CID 233925573.
  20. ^ Blount, Justin; Elkins, Zachary; Ginsburg, Tom (February 27, 2012), "Does the Process of Constitution-Making Matter?", Comparative Constitutional Design, Cambridge University Press, pp. 31–66, doi:10.1017/cbo9781139105712.004, hdl:2152/22257, ISBN 9781139105712, retrieved September 13, 2023
  21. ^ "NSF Award Search: Award # 2315189 - Concept Integration in Comparative Law: Linking Constitutional, Consultation, and Court Analysis". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  22. ^ Fareed Zakaria. Last Look: Google's constitution database | CNN, September 30, 2013, retrieved September 19, 2023
  23. ^ "Constitute in Arabic and Spanish." https://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/arabic-constitute/
  24. ^ "Constitute".
  25. ^ Elkins, Zachary; Ginsburg, Tom; Melton, James; Shaffer, Robert; Sequeda, Juan; Miranker, Daniel P. (2014). "Constitute: The World's Constitutions to Read, Search, and Compare". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3199104. ISSN 1556-5068.
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