More than Informal Institutions? A Typology-Based Analysis of Constitutional Conventions
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11230%2F25%3A10504021" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11230/25:10504021 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=8M6kZcGzLn" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=8M6kZcGzLn</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5817/PC2025-3-225" target="_blank" >10.5817/PC2025-3-225</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
More than Informal Institutions? A Typology-Based Analysis of Constitutional Conventions
Original language description
This article focuses on a longstanding yet undertheorized concept in political science: constitutional conventions. Traditionally distinguished from laws by their lack of legal enforceability, recent scholarship has challenged this dichotomy, suggesting that conventions can acquire characteristics typical for formal legal rules. By integrating constitutional conventions into institutionalist theory, this article addresses two research questions: Are constitutional conventions only informal institutions? How are they related to constitutional texts? To answer these questions, the article proposes two original typologies. The first classifies conventions by their degree of formalization and sanctioning mechanisms, illustrating how they may evolve along a continuum from purely informal to increasingly formal institutions. The second typology reflects the relationship between constitutional conventions and constitutional texts, distinguishing between interpretative, gap-filling, modifying, and contradicting conventions. Using these typologies, the article argues that conventions are neither homogeneous nor purely informal institutions, but rather diverse and dynamic rules placed along the formal-informal continuum. In general, the article highlights political science's (through institutional theory) distinctive capacity to analyze conventions as evolving elements of constitutional governance.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
50601 - Political science
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Politologický časopis
ISSN
1211-3247
e-ISSN
1805-9503
Volume of the periodical
2025
Issue of the periodical within the volume
3
Country of publishing house
CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC
Number of pages
21
Pages from-to
225-245
UT code for WoS article
001669803400001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105020083145