Latin American Law Review

Lat. Am. Law Rev. | eISSN 2619-4880

Participation mechanisms for constitutional change in Latin America as enhancers of democracy

No. 9 (2022-08-01)
  • Carolina Ovares Sánchez
https://doi.org/10.29263/lar09.2022.04

Abstract

The literature on comparative constitutionalism and citizen participation in constitutional change has highlighted the importance of constitutions as political institutions for societies. This research compared citizen participation mechanisms for constitutional change (CPM-CC) in Latin America based on such specialized literature. Its central question was: which characteristics of these mechanisms’ institutional design enable their democratic implementation? Thus, the paper presented a typology that offers distinction criteria to identify when a CPM-CC potentially has democratic effects. Later, results were compared with the complete mapping of the types of CPM-CC included in the national constitutions currently in effect in eighteen Latin American countries. Finally, conclusions were presented.

Keywords: Comparative constitutional law, citizens participation mechanisms, constitution-making process, institutional designs, Latin America

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