Book Launch Symposium - 'The Collaborative Constitution' Part 1: Views from the Academy

The Bonavero Institute of Human Rights was delighted to host the launch of the book The Collaborative Constitution by Aileen Kavanagh.
In this book, Aileen Kavanagh offers a fresh account of how we should protect rights in a democracy. Departing from leading theoretical accounts which present the courts and legislature as rivals for constitutional supremacy, Kavanagh argues that protecting rights is a collaborative enterprise between all three branches of government - the Executive, the legislature, and the courts. On a collaborative vision of constitutionalism, protecting rights is neither the solitary task of a Herculean super-judge, nor the dignified pronouncements of an enlightened legislature. Instead, it is a complex, dynamic, and collaborative endeavour, where each branch has a distinct but complementary role to play, whilst engaging with each other in a spirit of comity and mutual respect. Connecting constitutional theory with the practice of protecting rights in a democracy, this book offers an innovative understanding of the separation of powers, grounded in the values and virtues of constitutional collaboration.
This event was held as a symposium with two panel discussions.
Part 1: Views from the Academy
Professor Murray Hunt
Professor Vanessa MacDonnell
Professor Gavin Phillipson
Author: Professor Aileen Kavanagh
Chair: Professor Kate O'Regan