I. Introduction 1. The Origins and Transformation of the Concept of the Constitution II. Origins 2. Conditions for the Emergence and Effectiveness of Modern Constitutions 3. Basic Rights in the Formative Eras of Modern Society 4. The Concept of Constitution in Historical Perspective III. Concepts and Function 5.

The Function of Constitutions and Guidelines for Constitutional Reform 6. Integration by Constitution IV. Interpretation 7. Fundamental Rights in the Interpretation of the German Constitutional Court 8. Return to the Traditional Understanding of Fundamental Rights? V. Adjudication 9. Constitutional Courts and Constitutional Interpretation at the Interface of Law and Politics 10. Constitutional Adjudication and Democracy VI.

The Future 11. The Future of Constitutionalism 12. Can Democracy by Bargaining be Constitutionalized? VII. Europeanisation 13. The Role of National Constitutions in a United Europe 14. The Democratic Costs of Constitutionalisation - The European Case VIII. Internationalisation 15. The Constitution in the Process of Denationalisation 16.

Societal Constitutionalism 17. Levels of the Rule of Law - On the Possibility of Exporting a Western Achievement IX. Conclusion 18. The Achievement of Constitutionalism and its Prospects in a Changed World.