Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

Publication Date

2025

Publication Title

Coase-Sandor Working Paper Series in Law and Economics

Abstract

The diffusion of constitutional ideas and models has been the subject of extensive scholarship. In this paper, we use natural language processing methods to examine the persistence of constitutional ideas and models, focusing on how 16 core and iconic constitutions influence 572 newer constitutions over a long period (1900–2020). Our findings indicate that “old” core constitutions (such as those of the U.S. of 1789, Spain of 1812, France of 1848, and to a lesser extent France of 1791) have maintained significant influence over those 121 years. Austria of 1920 and France of 1946 are the most influential among the 20th -century iconic constitutions. In line with previous research, these old “core” constitutions experienced a sustainable decline in their impact from the early 1900s to World War II. However, remarkably, their formal influence tended to stabilize after the 1950s. Notably, the influence of the U.S. Constitution of 1789 and the French Constitution of 1848 never fully disappeared. The persistent impact of these older constitutions indicates a certain institutional inertia that shapes legal orders to this day.

Number

25-32

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