Research institutes

Montesquieu Institute

The Montesquieu Institute Maastricht is a research centre dedicated to European and comparative parliamentary studies. Montesquieu's 'formula' for the organisation of a sustainable and democratic society has to a large extent determined the organisation of many 'modern' parliamentary democracies. However, this formula provides some challenging questions: is it still applicable nowadays? One of the objectives of the inter-university Montesquieu Institute is to stimulate both Dutch and foreign scientists to look for answers to this kind of questions. It is a collaboration between, amongst others, UM, Leiden University and the University of Groningen.

Fast facts

European and comparative parliamentary studies
inter-university institute
main seat: The Hague campus of Leyden University
led by Prof. Aalt Willem Heringa

Research

The Montesquieu Institute Maastricht focuses on parliamentary systems of government in Europe and in the European Union. The Institute’s aim is to contribute to the academic and public debate on democracy and governance in the European Union by deepening the understanding of the constitutional structures and political practice of national systems of parliamentary government. It takes a thoroughly comparative approach to parliamentary studies in a European context.

Education

The institute's staff is also involved in teaching activities within the bachelor's and master's programmes of the Faculty of Law of Maastricht University. They provide courses on Dutch, comparative and European constitutional law. In addition, the institute initiates public lectures and seminars and other activities for students and interested others on various issues related to parliamentary government and democracy.

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Law Blogs Maastricht
Would you like to know more about our research? Visit Law Blogs Maastricht and find more information about the Faculty of Law's research output.

Montesquieu Blogs

Faites vos jeux
11-04-2019byPrashant Sabharwal in Law
Britain gets a hard-fought extension, with incalculable consequences.
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Change of course?
04-04-2019byPrashant Sabharwal in Law
With options running out before the United Kingdom faces yet another critical deadline, Prime Minister Theresa May tries one last (desperate) gamble to “save Brexit” – reaching out to the Labour Party. Will it be successful? Which are the options remaining on the table? What could happen next? Here...
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The Ides of March: The United Kingdom gets one last chance. Will it use it?
22-03-2019byPrashant Sabharwal in Law
Staying just a little bit longer? Or for good? Summary: With the European Council throwing a lifeline to the United Kingdom, all options are back on the table. Rather than taking back control, the United Kingdom now finds itself dependent on the remainder of the European Union – with the absence of...
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Facing reality
13-03-2019byPrashant Sabharwal in Law
With merely two weeks before the United Kingdom’s scheduled withdrawal from the European Union, Westminster still does not know what it wants and where it wishes to go.
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The 5 Star Movement's use and abuse of direct democracy and the Italian constitution
26-02-2019byLawblogger in Law
The Italian Senate committee tasked with advising the Senate on the lifting of immunities , voted to block an investigation...
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Montesquieu news

An uneven balance? A legal analysis of power asymmetries between national parliaments in the EU
Monday, March 25, 2019

The book provides a comprehensive legal analysis of power asymmetries that exist between national parliaments in the EU.

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New book: Bevrijdende en begrenzende soevereiniteit
Tuesday, December 11, 2018

New book: Bevrijdende en begrenzende soevereiniteit. The book brings together many of the annual conference contributions (both English and Dutch). The contributions focus in particular on the meaning of sovereignty and the relationship between the nation state and the European Union.

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Launch of Montesquieu volume 11 'Een goede raad'
Tuesday, October 16, 2018

This information is only available in Dutch.

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Comparative Government ook in Luzern
Thursday, August 4, 2016
De staf van het Maastrichtse MI zal dit najaar voor de tweede keer de mastercursus Comparative Government verzorgen aan de rechtenfaculteit van de universiteit van Luzern. Deze samenwerking bevalt beide partijen uitstekend en geeft ons kans om onze expertise op het vergelijkende staatsrecht te delen met een grotere groep (internationale) studenten. De docenten die in Luzern zullen doceren zijn Aalt Willem Heringa, Sascha Hardt en Thu Hoai Nguyen.

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Blogs and papers

Many of the scholars at the Montesquieu Institute are regularly contribute to blogs and publications in the fields of European and comparative constitutional law and politics. The blogs and papers page contains an overview of the latest contributions.

Go to the blogs and papers page