History of the CGC
The Centre originated in a programme entitled Rethinking the Rules, run by Dr Tony Lang from 2005 through 2007. This programme brought together scholars and policy analysts from around the world to explore the nature of rules at the international level in an attempt to create new insights at the nexus of international law, ethics and politics. To date, the Centre has focussed upon international security and will next turn to international economics and the environment. The Centre has hosted two workshops and created a network of scholars and practitioners from across Europe and North America. On the basis of this initial work, these scholars published one special edition of a journal (International Relations, September 2006) and an edited volume on rules and security.
The concept of global constitutionalism will give these efforts a particular intellectual focus lacking in other centres and policy institutes. Constitutionalism differs from global governance and democratisation studies in that it recognises the centrality of rights, rules and responsibilities but locates these norms in legal and institutional frameworks. Just as domestic constitutions must construct institutions that balance power and yet protect rights, so too can the global order be understood as an emerging constitutional order. The Centre is designed to construct such an order, but will provide scholars and policy analysts the opportunity to explore issues related to rights, rules and responsibilities in an overarching conceptual scheme.
The Centre has a number of current and forthcoming projects; for details see here.
