ANNOUCEMENT/CALL FOR PROPOSALS - The 2nd Session of the Arab Association’s Constitutional Academy

ANNOUCEMENT/CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Arab Association of Constitutional Law and the Faculty of Juridical, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis (University of Carthage) announce the second session of the Arab Association’s Constitutional Academy

Introduction: The Arab Association of Constitutional Law and the Faculty of Juridical, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis (University of Carthage) are organizing the second session of the Arab Association’s Constitutional Academy (the Academy) between 1-31 December 2016 in Tunis, Tunisia. The Academy is part of an effort to encourage a more dynamic, continuous, and in-depth exchange of ideas between leading policy-makers and scholars in the Arab region. The Academy seeks to identify trends in constitution-making across the region and will focus on the reform processes that began in 2011. It will examine both how new constitutions were negotiated and drafted, and the ways they have been implemented. The Academy will create space for experts from across the region to engage with each other on a selected number of substantive areas and provide the opportunity to explore whether possible solutions to their common problems exist. The Academy’s participants will be selected according to a competitive process (see below).

The Academy’s proceedings: Academy participants will spend one month in Tunis, Tunisia. During that period, they will work together to produce a number of joint policy papers on a specific and predetermined substantive areas (see below). Academy participants will be assisted by leading Tunisian, Arab and international scholars who will follow and contribute to their work on a regular basis. Academy participants will be required to organize a public colloquium on their work at the Faculty of Juridical, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis (University of Carthage) on the substance of their research.

The papers: Academy participants will be required to produce joint papers in Arabic, with final versions to be published in Arabic and English (via commissioned translation). The papers will be published online and in the Arab Association of Constitutional Law’s Yearbook. The papers must:

(i)   Be critical and analytical. A purely descriptive and superficial approach will not be accepted. 


(ii)  Be comparative in their approach. The papers must consider multiple constitutional systems from the Arab region, and must also consider multiple systems external to the 
region, with special emphasis on the Global South. 


(iii)  Go beyond the constitutional text and consider implementation issues. 


The research question: Academy participants will be required to research and publish a policy paper on “The security sector and the constitution”. The research question should break down as follows:

What formal role did the security sector (army, intelligence and police) play in the drafting of Arab constitutions following 2011?  In countries where security institutions played a formal role during the constitutional drafting process, what differences can be identified in terms of the constitution’s substantive content?   Academy participants will be required to research these issues, mainly with a view to answering the following questions:

a.  What are the likely long-term implications of the constitutional provisions relating to the security sector that were instituted from 2011 to 2016?  What impact will they likely have on the state’s ability to formulate security policy, and on its commitment to justice, transparency and accountability according to the constitutional provisions? What role does the legislative authority play in security policies? Are constitutional provisions related to the security institutions consistent with international standards?  

b. What specific substantive changes were introduced in the constitutions that were eventually adopted in countries where security institutions played a formal role during the constitutional drafting processes? To what extent do these changes depart from pre-2011 constitutional rules and practice, as established by previous constitutions, legislation and court decisions?  

c. What impact has subsequent legislation had on regulating, limiting or expanding the role of security institutions in the region? What role have various courts (including constitutional courts, supreme courts, administrative courts and military courts) played in shaping the formal role of the security sector, particularly since 2011?

d. Are there any useful lessons that we can draw from similar comparative experiences outside the Arab World? 

Logistics, expenses and honorarium: All of the Academy participants’ travel, accommodation and living expenses will be covered by the Arab Association of Constitutional Law. In addition, each Academy participant will be paid a US$3,000 honorarium upon completion of the research project. 

How to apply to the Academy: The Academy welcomes applications from around the world. The Academy’s participants will be selected according to a competitive process. Interested candidates are required to submit an application no later than 21 September 2016. Applications should include the following:

(i)  Applications must be sent to Wissam Benyettou ([email protected]) by the application deadline.

(ii)  An up to date version of the applicant’s CV. 


(iii)  A 1,500 word proposal, describing in detail the manner in which the applicant would approach the research question while in residence at the Academy, and the importance of the proposed project within the context of the applicant’s own past work (if relevant) and other scholarly work. 


(iv)  A writing sample (which must be in Arabic). 


(v)   Two letters of recommendation. 


The Academy’s activities have been made possible by generous contributions from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International IDEA) and the Open Society Foundation.