Unwritten Constitutions of Political Rule: Conceptual Approaches to Comparative Area Studies of Asia, the Middle East & North Africa, and EuropeUrsula Birsl und and Samuel Salzborn

ASIEN – Nr. 132 (2014) pp. 12–25

This article discusses conceptual considerations regarding the constituting and structuring of political governance in Asia, MENA (the Middle East and North Africa), and Europe. It investigates how formal and informal institutions combine with politics and unwritten political rules to form an “unwritten constitution” that acts as a de facto constitution for political governance. Particular emphasis is placed on interrelation-ships in the development of political governance, since influences between the world’s regions are not unidirectional, but interdependent and reciprocal.

Manuscript received on 2014-02-01, accepted on 2014-04-23
Keywords: comparative area studies, political culture, political rule, unwritten constitution