Centre for Advanced Study

at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

Constitutional Studies - the Constitution as Norm

Information

Former 2001/2002 Social Sciences - Law

Abstract

For many years since World War II, the Norwegian Constitution was largely studied in a national historical context and in relative isolation from comparative research. At the same time, the influence from "modern" empirical thinking in the field of social sciences and so-called "legal realism" of the Scandinavian kind was important. 

In opposition to the descriptive (empirical) approach to the study of the Constitution that has had a tendency of predominating in the recent past, there has been a regain of interest in the study of Human Rights, among political scientists a "new-institutionalist" approach has grown strng, and quite generally in Europe, developments such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the EU development have considerably enhanced the interest in Constitutional Studies as such. 

Along this lines, the idea that the Constitution merits to be studied (first) as a (legal) norm is the very basis for the present research project. It is likely to eintal important consequences for the topics to be selected, e.g.: a majority based or a "constitutional" consept of democracy; the Constitution not only as an "instument of government" but even as a "law" to be upheld by Courts; "parliamentary studies" not only of political behavior,  but even of norms supposed to govern that behavior; the internal structure of te system of (legal) constitutional norms; the importance of legal/constitutional elements in political arguing; the importance of legal form, for instance as to the relationship between constitutional change by formal amendment and by interpretation; and the relationship between norm and behavior. 

Within the normative approach, the project will be conducted by Eivind Smith (a constitutional lawyer with broad comparative research and experiences) in collaboration with a lawyer specialised in the philosophy of law (professor Svein Eng), a historian working in the Department of political science with extensive research i.a. in the development of the institutions of the Norwegian parliamentary system (professor Trond-Nordby) and a political scientist with broad experiences i.a. in comparative studies and normative theory (professor Bjørn Erik Rasch). 

End Report

For many years since World War II, the Norwegian Constitution was largely studied in a national and historical context, and in relative isolation from comparative research. At the same time, the influence from “modern” empirical thinking in the field of social sciences and so-called “legal realism” of the Scandinavian kind was important.

In opposition to the descriptive (empirical) approach to the study of the Constitution that has had a tendency to predominate, there has been a regain of interest in the study of Human Rights. Among political scientists, a “new-institutionalist” approach has grown strong, and developments such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the process of democratisation in Eastern Europe and the debate on European integration have considerably enhanced the interest in constitutional studies as such.

Along these lines, the very basis for this research project lies in the idea that the Constitution should be studied (first) as (legal) norm. A normative approach opens up for studying the impact of these legal norms as well in the legal system as in society otherwise, but also of their own extra-legal normative basis and relationship to other sets of norms (philosophical, etc.).

Among questions approached by the group, the following should be mentioned: the relationship between a majority based and a “constitutional” concept of democracy; the Constitution not only as “instrument of government” but even as a “law” to be upheld by Courts; “parliamentary studies” not only of political behaviour, but even of norms supposed to govern that behaviour; the internal structure of the system of (legal) constitutional norms; the importance of legal/constitutional elements in political arguing; the importance of legal form, for instance as to the relationship between constitutional change by formal amendment, by interpretation or by “unwritten” legal norms; and the relationship between norm and behaviour.

For the study of fundamental questions like these, it was important that the project included peoples from several scientific fields including lawyers, political scientists, historians and philosophers.

Moreover, a comparative perspective was crucial, allowing the situation in Norway, for example, to be compared and contrasted with that in other countries.

The group contributed substantially in building up the cross-disciplinary network in Norway in constitutional studies and between important members of this network and foreign colleagues. Intensive discussions within the group and with guests and participants in conferences, etc. will have long-standing effects on the knowledge and ways of reasoning of the persons involved. The importance of looking upon the constitution as a norm, not only as an “undemocratic” relict of the past, and of not seeing the legal character of this norm as the final word within the realm of the giving of reasons was confirmed. Parts at least of the cooperation are likely to continue under other forms in the years to come.

Fellows

  • Arnason, Agust Thor
    Director University of Akureyri 2001/2002
  • Elster, Jon
    Professor Columbia University 2001/2002
  • Eng, Svein
    Professor University of Oslo (UiO) 2001/2002
  • Huber, John David
    Associate Professor Columbia University 2001/2002
  • Kúris, Egidijus
    Judge Constitutional Court Vilnius 2001/2002
  • Maruste, Rait
    Professor European Courts of Human Rights 2001/2002
  • Nordby, Trond
    Professor University of Oslo (UiO) 2001/2002
  • Petersson, Olof
    Professor Centre for Business and Policy Studies (SNS) 2001/2002
  • Pfersmann, Otto
    Professor University of Paris 2001/2002
  • Rasch, Bjørn Erik
    Professor University of Oslo (UiO) 2001/2002
  • Roosma, Peeter
    Assistant Lecturer University of Tartu 2001/2002
  • Taube, Caroline
    Postdoctoral Fellow University of Oslo (UiO) 2001/2002
  • Troper, Michel
    Professor University of Paris 2001/2002

Group leader

  • Eivind Smith

    Title Professor Institution University of Oslo (UiO) Year at CAS 2001/2002
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