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 2: Views from the Bench

Professor Dieter Grimm
Lord Sales
Professor Kate O’Regan
Author: Professor Aileen Kavanagh

Chair: Professor Basak Çalı