Full Description
The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Constitutions offers a detailed and analytical view of the constitutions of the Caribbean region, examining the constitutional development of its diverse countries. The Handbook explains the features of the region's constitutions and examines themes emerging from the Caribbean's experience with constitutional interpretation and reform.
Beginning with a Foreword from the former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice and an Introduction by the lead editor, Richard Albert, the remainder of the book is divided into four parts. Part I, 'Caribbean Constitutions in the World', highlights what is distinctive about the constitutions of the Caribbean. Part II covers the constitutions of the Caribbean in detail, offering a rich analysis of the constitutional history, design, controversies, and future challenges in each country or group of countries. Each chapter in this section addresses topics such as the impact of key historical and political events on the constitutional landscape for the jurisdiction, a systematic account of the interaction between the legislature and the executive, the civil service, the electoral system, and the independence of the judiciary.
Part III addresses fundamental rights debates and developments in the region, including the death penalty and socio-economic rights. Finally, Part IV features critical reflections on the challenges and prospects for the region, including the work of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the future of constitutional reform.
This is the first book of its kind, bringing together in a single volume a comprehensive review of the constitutional development of the entire Caribbean region, from the Bahamas in the north to Guyana and Suriname in South America, and all the islands in between. While written in English, the book embraces the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region, and covers the Anglophone Caribbean as well as the Spanish-, French-, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries.
Contents
Richard Albert: Introduction: Bringing Caribbean Constitutionalisms to the World
Part I: Caribbean Constitutions in the World
1: Lindsay Stirton and Martin Lodge: Constitutionalism and Colonial Legacies in the Caribbean
2: Hamid Ghany: Constitutional Design in the Commonwealth Caribbean
3: Se-shauna Wheatle: Constitutional Principles: Forging Caribbean Constitutionalism
4: Yaniv Roznai: Constitutional Unamendability in the Region
Part II: The Constitutions of the Caribbean
5: Derek O'Brien: The Commonwealth Caribbean and the Westminster Model
6: Jayson Haynes: The Constitutional Law of Guyana: Challenges and Prospects
7: Susan Dickson: The British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos Islands - A Modern Approach to a Traditional Relationship
8: Sofia Ranchordás, Irene Broekhuijse, and Ernst Hirsch Ballin: The Constitutions of the Dutch Caribbean: A Study of the Countries of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten and the Public Entities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
9: Ruben Gowricharn: Suriname's Constitutional Limits
10: David Marrani and Sacha Sydoryk: The Constitutional Framework of the French Caribbean: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy
11: Julio César Guanche, Julio Antonio Fernández Estrada, and Bradley Hayes: The Normative Framework of the Cuban Constitution and the Problems it Poses
12: Louis Aucoin: Haiti's Constitution of 1987: How Does it Fare Today as the Country's Foundation for the Rule of Law?
13: Leiv Marsteintredet: The Constitutions of the Dominican Republic: Between Aspirations and Realities
14: Joel Colón-Ríos: The Constitution of Puerto Rico
Part III: Fundamental Rights
15: Margaret Burnham: Caribbean Constitutions and the Death Penalty
16: Westmin R.A. James: Social and Economic Rights in the Caribbean
17: Yonique Campbell: Rights and National Security
Part IV: Forces and Institutions
18: Stephen Vasciannie: The Appellate Jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice
19: David Berry: The Effect of the Original Jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice on Regional Integration and National Law
20: Derek O'Brien: The Interpretation of Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutions: Does Text Matter?
21: Peter Clegg and Derek O'Brien: Constitutional Dissonance and the Rule of Law in the Turks and Caicos Islands
22: Rupert Lewis: Black Power in the Caribbean
23: Jane E. Cross: The Vestiges of Colonial Constitutionalism
24: Cynthia Barrow-Giles: Mapping the Future of Caribbean Constitutionalism
