Every constitutional system contains the possibility of localism and a tension between what must be done or decided at the centre and what should be done locally. Some systems such as federal ones contain more than one level of local self-government, in which case the tension operates in three dimensions. This issue affects countries as large as China and India; but also as small as Singapore and Taiwan. Constitutional law attempts to answer some of the questions that arise within this tension: What powers should be exercised locally? To what extent should the exercise of these powers be subject to central control, and how? How should fiscal balancing be effected between the two or three levels of government? How can accountability for the exercise of powers both centrally and locally be achieved through balancing of powers and resources and through the exercise of judicial power? How far should constitutional law itself seek to resolve these issues? How far is local self-government worth preserving?

A workshop, entitled ‘Central-local Relations in Constitutional Law: In Asia and beyond’, is run by CALS in conjunction with the Hart Publishing book series ‘Constitutional Systems of the World’, and brings together series editors and scholars from across Asia and beyond who have contributed or are contributing to the series.

Events around this workshop include a public lecture by Professor Cheryl Saunders of Melbourne University Law School, entitled ‘Constitution-making as applied Comparative Law: Insights from Asia’, and a launch of the Asia Pacific books in the series (Australia, Japan, PR of China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia). Papers presented at the workshop include also papers on South Africa, Nepal, India, Singapore, Myanmar, France, Taiwan and Canada.