This comprehensive discussion of the problems inherent in constitutional democracy will be of interest to students in a variety of social sciences.

Notes on contributors, Introduction Jon Elster; 1. Gag rules or the politics of omission Stephen Holmes; 2. Democracy as a contingent outcome of conflicts Adam Przeworski; 3. Consequences of constitutional choice: reflections on Tocqueville Jon Elster; 4. Liberal constitutionalism and its critics: Carl Schmitt and Max Weber Rune Slagstad; 5. Democracy and the rule of law: some historical experiences of contradictions in the striving for good government Francis Sejersted; 6. Neo-federalism? Bruce A. Ackerman; 7. Precommitment and the paradox of democracy Stephen Holmes; 8. American constitutionalism and the paradox of private property Jennifer Nedelsky; 9. From liberal constitutionalism to corporate pluralism: the conflict over the enabling acts in Norway after the Second World War and the subsequent constitutional development Francis Sejersted; 10. Arguments of constitutional choice: reflections on the transition to socialism Jon Elster; 11. Constitutions and democracies: an epilogue Cass R. Sunstein; Index.