Inferring mechanisms for global constitutional progress.

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• Legal Studies
• Computational Social Science

Background:

• Constitutions shape domestic politics but are influenced by international factors.
• Previous research focused on temporal and network-based influences on constitutional change.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce and define the 'provision space' concept.
• Quantify temporal and network effects on constitutional change.
• Propose and investigate the role of hierarchical effects in constitutional evolution.

Main Methods:

• Utilize network science and information retrieval techniques.
• Analyze the global 'provision space' of legal provisions across constitutions.
• Compare temporal, network, and hierarchical mechanisms driving constitutional change.

Main Results:

• The 'provision space' of global constitutional provisions grows over time.
• Temporal and network effects are quantifiable influences on constitutional change.
• Hierarchical effects significantly contribute to the adoption of new constitutional provisions, particularly political rights.

Conclusions:

• Hierarchical mechanisms are crucial for understanding constitutional evolution.
• The study provides a framework for analyzing the spread of constitutional provisions.
• Findings offer insights for advocates promoting new political rights globally.