From words to worlds

"Beau Breslin lays out and explains the basic functions of a modern constitution - including creating a new citizenry, structuring the institutions of government, regulating conflict between layers and branches of government, and limiting the power of the sovereign. He also discusses the theoretical concepts behind the fundamentals of written constitutions and examines in depth some of the most important constitutional charters from around the world. In assaying how states put structural ideas into practice, Breslin asks probing questions about why - and if - constitutions matter."--BOOK JACKET.