A new project developed by the Comparative Constitutions Project with seed funding from Google has recently been launched. Constitute allows users to read, compare and search 160 constitutions around the world.

The beautiful website allows you to pick from hundreds of themes, as specific as ‘trial in native language of accused’ to broad characteristics or rights, making the process of comparing constitutional features spectacularly easy. Brushing up on constitutional knowledge has never been so fun!

Zimbabwe has the newest constitution listed on the website and the United States the oldest, New Zealand doesn’t feature due to the uncodified nature of our constitution.

‘Our aim is to arm drafters with a better tool for constitution design and writing. We also hope citizens will use Constitute to learn more about their own constitutions, and those of countries around the world.’ Wrote Google Ideas Product Manager Sara Sinclair Brody on Google’s blog just before the launch of the project.

 

 

The Institute holds hard copies of global constitutions in the James Duncan Reference Library at our office, Level 2, 5 Cable St Wellington.