This workshop is co-hosted by the Centre for Fundamental Rights and re:constitution.
The aim of this workshop is to establish what platforms, actors, and mechanisms are employed to resist the erosion of rule of law and liberal constitutionalism on a global scale, drawing on examples from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). In addition to offering comparative ways for understanding the origins, workings and implications of these practices, this workshop also seeks to distil lessons and workable solutions for tracing and tackling rule of law challenges that could be applied beyond the CEE context.
The workshop further aims to:
Equip the participants with a toolkit for understanding the workings and mechanisms of constitutional governance (e.g., separation of powers, checks and balances, rule of law, fundamental rights, judicial review) and for applying them in real-life scenarios.
Comparatively establish common patterns of democratic backsliding and potential resistance strategies.
Provide an opportunity for networking and exchange between students based at academic institutions in Berlin/Germany that are interested in the topics of rule of law, democratic backsliding and illiberal governance on a European and global level.
Application process: (Deadline extended)
The workshop is open to students with a background in law, political science, and social sciences, as well as students from other disciplines with a strong interest in the topics of democratic backsliding and (re)emerging authoritarianism. Due to the comparative nature of the workshop, we strongly encourage applications from people who have knowledge about and interest in comparable processes and challenges that are taking place both within and outside of CEE, e.g., in Brazil, India, the US, Italy, Sweden, and other countries.
To apply please send a short statement (ca. 100 - 200 words) outlining your motivation to participate in the workshop, your educational background (e.g., law, political science, social sciences), the course and institution that you are currently enrolled in, and the (inter)national jurisdiction(s) that you are familiar with to fundamentalrights[at]hertie-school[dot]org
Application deadline is Sunday, 20.11.2022.
A maximum of 20 participants will be admitted into the workshop. Successful candidates will be notified by 21.11.2022.
The workshop will be catered. There is no participation fee.
Instructors
Dr. Ivo Gruev is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Hertie School Centre for Fundamental Rights. He has a background in comparative constitutional studies and a particular interest in the constitutional protection of fundamental rights in societies transitioning from or into authoritarian rule. He is a lecturer in public international law at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and holds a Magister Juris from the University of Oxford and a law degree from the Humboldt University in Berlin.
Dr. Zuzana Vikarská is an assistant professor in constitutional law and human rights at Masaryk University in Brno. Zuzana holds a PhD in law and jurisprudence from Charles University in Prague and has previously studied at the University of Oxford and KU Leuven. Her previous experience includes five years in the chambers of Judge Kateřina Šimáčková at the Czech Constitutional Court.
