As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, I feel moved to say thank you. Many of you contributed earlier this year to my fundraiser for childhood education in Haiti. Today I am thrilled to announce that together we raised a grand total of $8131.00! Every single dollar has been used to pay the $400 school enrollment fee for each of these 15 children. We have also bought them school supplies. Your contributions have quite literally transformed the lives of these children. They are learning to read, to count and to write, all while delighting in the pleasures of paints, puzzles and instruments. Thank you so very much for giving these kids a chance at life.
Is there a right to effective government? If yes, what does it mean for protecting rights, promoting the general welfare, and combating the most serious challenges of our time, including climate change, social inequality, and the decline of democracy around the world? Vicki Jackson and Yasmin Dawood have assembled an all-star cast of scholars to explore these questions in their new book on “Constitutionalism and a Right to Effective Government?"
Constitution-Making in Barbados
Last year, Barbados became a republic, finally severing its colonial ties to the British monarchy. Today, Barbados is engaged in an exciting project of constitutional renewal. I will reflect on this historic moment in the 17th Annual Patrick A.M. Emmanuel Memorial Lecture at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. My lecture is titled “The Seeds for a Homegrown Constitution.” Last year's lecture was delivered by the Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, on the theme “Forging A Nation: Confronting New Realities.”
Dr. Kim Lane Scheppele is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Chicago, she is one of the world's most respected scholarly voices on the rise of illiberal government, the architecture of autocratic legalism, and the conditions for democratic resilience. Earlier this year, the University of Michigan created the Kim Lane Scheppele Collegiate Professorship in Women’s and Gender Studies.
Teaching in Brazil
This month I am teaching a course on “How Constitutions Change” at FGV Direito SP, one of the great law schools in Brazil, Latin America, and the world. Happily, the timing of my stay in São Paulo coincides with Brazil's quest for a sixth championship in the FIFA World Cup.
A Photo for the Season
I always enjoy the fall foliage in Ottawa, my hometown. I took this photo in Major's Hill Park, right next to the Château Laurier.
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The mission of the International Forum on the Future of Constitutionalism is to marshal knowledge and experience to build a world of opportunity, liberty, and dignity for all.
