Limits to democratic constitutionalism in Central and Eastern Europe / Bogusia Puchalska.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

In this book, Bogusia Puchalska develops an original theory of democratic constitutionalism and uses it to support the argument that constitution-making and law-making in constitutional moments should be politically, and not just constitutionally, legitimate. In doing so she expertly assesses the potential implications of the prospects of democratic consolidation and constitutionalism in Poland after 1989 and asks whether it is likely to be applicable to other transition countries such as Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia. This original and informative book should be read by all curious to understand how the democratic learning and the foundations of grass-root constitutionalism might have been damaged in post-communist countries.

Introduction; Democratic constitutionalism in context of transitional politics; Constitutional moments and constituent power in Poland's recent political history; Democratic constitutionalism in Poland after 1989: external influences; Constitutional tribunals in Central and Eastern Europe: guardians of democratic constitutionalism?; Conclusions; Bibliography; Index.