In her recent book The Collaborative Constitution (Cambridge University Press, 2023), professor Aileen Kavanagh provides a novel perspective on safeguarding rights within a democracy. Differing from dominant theories that view courts and legislature as competitors for constitutional dominance, Kavanagh posits that defending rights is a cooperative effort involving all three branches of government: the executive, the legislature, and the courts. This collaborative approach to constitutionalism implies that protecting rights is neither the sole responsibility of an all-powerful judge nor solely the esteemed declarations of a wise legislature. Rather, it is a multifaceted, evolving cooperative undertaking, where each branch has a unique yet complementary role, interacting with one another in a spirit of comity and mutual respect. By linking constitutional theory with the practical aspects of defending rights in a democracy, Professor Kavanagh’s latest book presents an innovative interpretation of the separation of powers rooted in the principles and virtues of constitutional collaboration.

Guest: Aileen Kavanagh (Professor of Constitutional Governance at Trinity College Dublin's School of Law, Director of the Trinity Center for Constitutional Governance)

Date: 6 March 2025, 4:00 pm

Venue: Budapest, 1113 Tas vezér utca 3-7., Szilágyi Erzsébet Room

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MCC students can earn credit for actively participating in the event, provided they read the required chapters and paper(s) and prepare three questions for the Q&A session of the research seminar.

Questions related to the required reading must be submitted to Kálmán Pócza at pocza.kalman@mcc.hu by 11:00 PM on 4 March, 2025.

Required Reading: Please contact Kálmán Pócza to obtain the electronic version of the paper.

Submission Deadline: 4 March, 2025, 11:00 PM

Previous Research Seminars