Constitutional and Political Theory: Selected Writings

Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde (b. 1930) is one of Europe's foremost legal scholars and political thinkers. As a scholar of constitutional law and a judge on Germany's Federal Constitutional Court (December 1983 - May 1996), Böckenförde has been a major contributor to contemporary debates in legal and political theory, to the conceptual framework of the modern state and its presuppositions, and to contested political and ethical problems. Thus, his writings have shaped not only academic but also wider public debates from the 1950s to the present, to an extent that few European scholars can match. As a federal constitutional judge and holder of one the most important and most trusted public offices, Böckenförde has influenced the way in which academics and citizens think about law and politics. During his tenure as a member of the Second Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court, several path-breaking decisions for the Federal Republic of Germany were handed down, including decisions pertaining to the deployment of missiles, the law on political parties, the regulation of abortion, and the process of European integration.

In the first representative edition in English of Böckenförde's writings, this volume brings together his essays on constitutional and political theory. These include: political theory of the state; constitutional theory; constitutional norms and fundamental rights; the relationship between state, citizenship, and political autonomy. Each of these feature introductions to the articles as well as a running editorial commentary to the work. A second volume will follow this collection, focusing on religion, law, and democracy.

Author: Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 10/24/2022
Pages: 280
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.57lbs
Size: 9.33h x 6.20w x 0.98d
ISBN: 9780198714972

About the Author
Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, Professor Emeritus, University of Freiburg

Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde is a Professor emeritus of Public Law at the University of Freiburg. He served as a judge at the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany 1983-1996 and is one of the best-known and most influential German legal scholars.

Mirjam Künkler is Senior Research Fellow at the Swedish Collegium of Advanced Study.

Tine Stein is the Professor of Political Theory at the University of Kiel.