Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAdam Brown's The Dead Hand's Grip provides a good introduction to variations in state constitutions and the broad impact of these documents in the states. * Nancy Miller, The Journal of Federalism *
Relying on sophisticated statistical analysis of Americas state constitutions,The Dead Hands Gripmakes a helpful contribution to debates about the consequences of constitutional design, by showing that a constitutions length and specificity have important effects on governance and that longer, more detailed constitutions, often written in the 19thcentury, limit policy-makers flexibility and reduce states' performance on various economic measures in the 21stcentury. * John Dinan, author ofState Constitutional Politics *
The Dead Hands Grip is a remarkable achievement in comparative analysis. By comparing the length of the constitutions of the 50 US states, Brown is able to control for a variety of social, economic, and cultural confounders that typically frustrate our ability to measure the effects of constitutions. Using time-series analysis, Brown shows that longer constitutions lead to more amendments, more judicial invalidations, and worse economic outcomes in terms of GDP per capita, unemployment, inequality, and innovation. Methodological precision, and a series of robustness checks make his results extremely persuasive. This is a landmark work in the study of constitutions. * George Tsebelis, Anatol Rapoport Collegiate Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan *
Adam Brown presents deep research and strong statistical evidence of the negative effects in states with overly specific (and therefore long) constitutions. This issue has vexed scholars for years, and his book sets the terms of the debate for years to come. * Robert F. Williams, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University School of Law, and author of The Law of American State Constitutions *
Adam Brown offers an important book on American constitutionalism. In The Dead Hands Grip, Brown shows how detailed state constitutions restrain state lawmakers from responding to pressing social, economic, and political issues. Lawmakers often bridle against these restraints, clashing with state judges and passing new amendments, further constitutionalizing mundane policy issues. This over-specificity prevents lawmakers from securing socioeconomic goods. Using statistical analysis and wide-ranging examples, Brown convincingly demonstrates that constitutional specificity harms democratic legitimacy and policymaking. * Robinson Woodward-Burns, author of Hidden Laws *
This slim volume is a provocative examination of the challenges presented by specificity in US state constitutions...The methodological approaches are carefully explained and defended throughout the book. This look at state constitutions creates an interesting examination of the political systems operating in the American states. * Choice *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introducing Constitutional Specificity Chapter 2: Contextualizing Specificity Chapter 3: Specificity and Amendments Chapter 4: Specificity and Judicial Review Chapter 5: Specificity and Prosperity Chapter 6: Evaluating State Constitutions Chapter 7: Conclusion References Index
