Handbook of Constitutional Law

German Constitutional Law from a Transnational Perspective

The Handbook of Constitutional Law is co-authored by 24 German professors, and supported by 15 international academics from Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. Edited by Profes­sors Herdegen, Masing, Poscher, and Gär­ditz, the Handbook’s main purpose is to foster trans­na­tional constitutional dialogue. It will appear in a German and English version and thus be the first comprehensive academic presentation of German constitutional law by some of the coun­try’s leading constitutional scholars. Intended for both German and foreign specialist audi­ences open to cross-border legal thinking, the German audience will experience a more dis­tanced view of German consti­tutional law, in which the material is prepared from a compara­tive law perspective and classified into alternative structures of law, reality and thought. The foreign reader will be introduced to German constitutional law, facilitat­ing access and under­stand­ing through points of contact under international and compara­tive law, and through reflecting on the preconditions and the legal and cultural conditions of the German discussion.
The Handbook incorporates several legal methods, particularly doctrinal analysis, interdis­ci­pli­narity, inter­disci­pli­nary integration of empirical findings and theoretical models, and compar­a­tive law. Importantly, the presentation of German constitutional law is integrated into an analysis of historical developments and experiences and backed by information that is as instructive as possible on legal circumstances and background. Each article presents the positive-law of the German constitution and its understanding in application and jurispru­dence in a way that is enriched by the transnational perspective. They thus not only introduce the theoretical and doctrinal discussion in Germany but also deliver a unique contribution to it. In the end, the Handbook endeavours to show the inter­de­pendence of the national constitu­tion, its doctrine and theoretical reflection in international multi-level legal systems and the inter- and transnational exchange of academic thought.

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