East Asian Constitutionalism in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the feature of modern Asian constitutional law in comparative perspective. It first examines the various features that Asian constitutional orders have in common. It identifies three distinct “Asian” patterns: an evolutionary Leninist variant, a stable liberal constitutionalist variant, and a hybrid, semi-authoritarian variant. It then considers the extent to which these can be seen as distinctly Asian patterns by comparing them with constitutional orders in Latin America, Eastern Europe, South Asia and Africa.