The Changing Landscape of Modern Constitutionalism: Transitional Perspective

憲政主義的變遷:轉型觀點

本文旨在探討,新興民主國家的憲政發展是否改變了我們對憲政主義的理解?改變程度又是如何?筆者試圖以理論勾勒憲政主義的變遷版圖,並檢視其形貌、功能以及特徵。筆者先藉由定義出轉型憲政主義的形貌、功能以及特徵,來分析轉型憲政主義的發展;復又檢視對憲法的傳統理解以何種程度以及何種方式受到此種發展的挑戰。最後筆者提供可能的解決之道,更進一步認為,轉型憲政主義固然對傳統理解造成衝擊,但是也使得我們對憲政主義的想像更加豐富,並且提供下一代的憲法學者嶄新的可能性。

This article deals with the question of whether and to what extent constitutional developments in new democracies have changed our understandings of constitutionalism. We attempt to theorize a changing landscape of constitutionalism and examine its features, functions and characteristics. We first analyze the development of transitional constitutionalism by identifying its features, perspectives, functions, and characteristics. Then we examine to what extent and in what ways the developments in transitional constitutionalism pose challenges to our traditional understanding of modern constitutional laws. Providing possible solutions to the challenges, we finally argue that notwithstanding challenges, the addition of transitional constitutionalism to traditional understandings has expanded the horizon of constitutionalism and created new opportunities for a coming generation of constitutional lawyers.