Rainer Grote
Prof., Dr. iur., LL.M. (Edinburgh), Referent
grote@mpil.de
Forschungsschwerpunkte:
Verfassungsrecht, Rechtsvergleichung, Menschenrechtsschutz
The field of comparative constitutional law has seen increasing academic interest in recent years, not least because of its considerable practical relevance. However, in spite of the widely acknowledged theoretical and practical relevance of the field, reference works are few. The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law seeks to fill this gap. In approximately 600 peer-reviewed entries, it will cover all areas of constitutional law from a comparative perspective.
Research Handbook Compliance in International Human Rights Law
Compliance with decisions by international human rights courts and bodies has emerged as one of the key problems in the efforts to promote effective protection of human rights beyond the nation state. While this has been a central issue of human rights law ever since international institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights were created at the global and regional level in the aftermath of World War II, its relevance has increased dramatically with the emergence of regional human rights courts passing often far-ranging judgments on the scope of human rights obligations under the relevant human rights treaties. With the growing tendency of the courts in the European and American human rights systems not to limit themselves to the decision whether in individual cases a human rights violation has taken place or not, but to assess the causes for those violations in the legal systems of the member states responsible and to demand appropriate remedial action, the reluctance of member states to comply with those decisions has grown. This reluctance has sometimes taken the form of implicit or express refusal by the political branches to take the required remedial action; in other cases, the constitutional courts of the countries concerned have openly questioned or denied the obligation to implement decisions by international human rights courts which in their view run counter to the core principles of the national constitution. The Handbook provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the compliance debate in international human rights law, in particular with regard to the regional human rights regimes in Europe, the Americas and Africa. While the focus is on the mechanisms and forms of dialogue between international and national (constitutional) judiciaries in promoting compliance, the book follows an interdisciplinary approach, addressing also the role of the political branches and civil society, as well as the strategies and instruments which may be used to overcome resistance to and mobilize support for better compliance.
The protest movement known as the Arab Spring, which resulted in the framing of new constitutions in some countries, the drafting of interim or transitional constitutional documents in others and unprecedented popular debates on the fundamentals of the constitutional system across the whole of Northern Africa and the Middle East, constituted the biggest upheaval of the established political order in an entire world region since the demise of the Soviet Union twenty years earlier. The book aims to analyze and put into perspective the forces and ideas which have driven constitutional change in the Arab world since the beginning of the uprisings in late 2010, as well as to identify the reasons for which most of the reform movements failed, at least in the short run, to achieve lasting democratic change.
Aktuelle Publikationen
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Brexit and Britain's Changing Constitution.
In: Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law 23, 400-417 (2020).
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Aproximación a la Constitución de Weimar en la ocasión de su centenario.
In: Boletín de la Academia de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales 160, 71-94 (2020).
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The Role of Institutional Design in Preventing Constitutional Decline.
In: Constitutional Studies 6, 117-132 (2020).
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Staatsrechtslehre in sozialer Verantwortung - Zum Tode des Staatsrechtlers und früheren Verfassungsrichters Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde.
In: Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht 3, 737-747 (2019).
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Verfassungsrecht
- Von der Rezeption zur Transformation. In: Lateinamerika - Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium,
Günther Maihold,
Hartmut Sangmeister,
Nikolaus Werz (Hrsg.). Nomos, Baden-Baden 2019,
133-144.
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Islamische Normativität und Verfassungsentwicklung aus der Perspektive eines europäischen Verfassungsvergleichers. In: Islam, Recht und Diversität, Stephan Hinghofer-Szalkay, Herbert Kalb (Hrsg.), Verlag Österreich, Wien 2018,
249-264.
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Parliamentary Systems. In: Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law,
Rainer Grote,
Frauke Lachenmann,
Rüdiger Wolfrum (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2017.
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Parliamentary Monarchy. In: Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law,
Rainer Grote,
Frauke Lachenmann,
Rüdiger Wolfrum (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2017.
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The Mexican Constitution of 1917: An Early Example of Radical Transformative Constitutionalism. In: Transformative Constitutionalism in Latin America - The Emergence of a New Ius Commune,
Armin von Bogdandy,
Eduardo Ferrer-MacGregor,
Mariela Morales Antoniazzi,
Flávia Piovesan (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2017,
149-169.
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Magna Carta. In: Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law,
Rainer Grote,
Frauke Lachenmann,
Rüdiger Wolfrum (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2017.
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Das "Westfälische System" des Völkerrechts: Faktum oder Mythos?. In: Völkerrechtsgeschichte(n), Andreas von Arnauld (Hrsg.), Duncker&Humblot, Berlin 2017,
21-38.
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The Constitutional Legacy of the Arab Spring. In: Constitutionalism, Human Rights, and Islam after the Arab Spring,
Rainer Grote,
Tilmann J. Röder (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, New York 2016,
907-917 (zusammen mit
Tilmann Röder).
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Constitutional Debates in the Arab Spring. In: Constitutionalism, Human Rights, and Islam after the Arab Spring,
Rainer Grote,
Tilmann J. Röder (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, New York 2016,
9-26 (zusammen mit
Tilmann Röder).
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Constitutionalism, Human Rights, and Islam after the Arab Spring.
Oxford University Press, New York, 2016, 953 S.
.
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Internationalization of the German Legal Method. In: Nordic and Germanistic Legal Methods, Sören Koch/Ingvill Helland (Hrsg.), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2015,
325-343.
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Grundlagen, Hauptprobleme und Perspektiven des islamischen Verfassungsrechts - Eine Zwischenbilanz im Lichte des "Arabischen Frühlings".
In: Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht 3, 575-614 (2014).
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The German Rechtsstaat in a Comparative Perspective. In: The Legal Doctrines of the Rule of Law and the Legal State (Rechtsstaat),
James R. Silkenat/James E. Hickey Jr./Peter D. Barenboim (Hrsg.). Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice Bd. 38. Springer, Heidelberg/New York/Dordrecht/London 2014,
193-207.
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EMRK/GG - Konkordanzkommentar zum europäischen und deutschen Grundrechtsschutz.
2. Mohr Siebeck,
Tübingen, 2013, 2400 S. (zusammen mit
Oliver Dörr,
Thilo Marauhn)
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Entstehungs- und Rezeptionsgeschichte der EMRK. In: EMRK/GG Konkordanzkommentar, Oliver Dörr, Rainer Grote, Thilo Marauhn (Hrsg.), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2013,
9-56.
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Meinungsfreiheit. In: EMRK/GG Konkordanzkommentar, Oliver Dörr, Rainer Grote, Thilo Marauhn (Hrsg.), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2013,
1050-1160 (zusammen mit
Nicola Wenzel).
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The ECHR's Rulings in "von Hannover v. Germany (No. 2)" and "Axel Springer AG v. Germany": Rebalancing Freedom of the Press with the Respect of Privacy.
In: German Yearbook of International Law 55, 639-648 (2012).
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Constitutionalism in Islamic Countries - Between Upheaval and Continuity.
Oxford University Press, New York, 2012, 730 S.
(Hrsg. mit
Tilmann Röder).
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Models of Institutional Control: The Experience of Islamic Countries. In: Constitutionalism in Islamic Countries,
Rainer Grote,
Tilmann Röder (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, New York 2013,
221-238.
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Westminster Democracy in an Islamic Context: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia. In: Constitutionalism in Islamic Countries,
Rainer Grote,
Tilmann Röder (Hrsg.). Oxford University Press, New York 2012,
447-460.
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The Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Towards a More Effective Implementation of Social Rights?. In: Coexistence, Cooperation and Solidarity - Liber Amicorum Rüdiger Wolfrum,
Holger Hestermeyer,
Doris König,
Nele Matz-Lück,
Volker Röben,
Anja Seibert-Fohr,
Peter-Tobias Stoll (Hrsg.). Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, Boston 2012,
417-436.
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Der Föderalismus in Mexiko, Indien, Südafrika und Australien. In: Föderalismus als demokratische Rechtsordnung und Rechtskultur in Deutschland, Europa und in der Welt,
Ines Härtel (Hrsg.). Springer, Heidelberg 2012,
587-608.
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Allgemeinheit und Bestimmtheit der Gesetze. In: Das Gesetz - Fünftes Deutsch-Taiwanesisches Kolloquium am 1. und 2. April 2011 an der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Werner Heun, Christian Starck (Hrsg.), Nomos, Baden-Baden 2012,
137-146.
Vorträge
17.11.2020
International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law in Occupied Territories
Vortrag im Rahmen der Konferenz "International Law in Translation: Perspectives on and from Palestine"
Heidelberg/Göttingen/Jerusalem
11.02.2020
The Ecology of Institutional Transplants in the Muslim World: Judicial Oversight of the Bureaucracy
Vortrag im Rahmen der Konferenz "Modern Law and Institutional Decay: The Ecology of Institutional Transplants in the Muslim World"
Universität Wien
21.01.2020
Aproximación a la Constitución de Weimar en la ocasión de su centenario
Vortrag vor der Academia de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales
Caracas, Venezuela
16.01.2020
Retos principales de la Constitución de Weimar
Vortrag im Rahmen des Seminars "La Constitución de Weimar desde la perspectiva del constitucionalismo latinoamericano contemporáneo"
Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas, Venezuela
29.11.2019
Foundations and Limits of Municipal Power under the Basic Law
Vortrag im Rahmen des Seminars "Article 49 of the Tunisian Constitution"
Sousse, Tunesien
30.10.2019 - 31.10.2019
Models of decentralized governance - A comparative survey
Präsentation im Rahmen des Seminars "Resistance and Liberation Movements"
Berghof Foundation, Berlin
08.11.2018
Constitutional Courts and Supreme Courts: A Difficult Relationship
Vortrag im Rahmen des Expertenseminars "Role and Impact of Constitutional Courts in Relation to Other High Courts"
Amman, Jordanien
06.11.2017
The changing status of religion in European constitutional systems
Vortrag im Rahmen des Seminars "The role of religious law in the constitutional state" des Rule of Law Program Middle East/North Africa der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Cadenabbia, Italien
01.07.2017
Is There a Recipe for Successful Democratic Transitions? Some Insights from European and German Experiences
Vortrag im Rahmen der Summer School "The Challenges of Democratic Transitions in the Arab World"
University of Copenhagen
24.05.2017
The Turn to the 'Islamic' in International Law and International Relations - Myth or Reality?
Vortrag im Rahmen des Seminars "Rule, Resistance and the State - Islamic International Law and International Relations"
Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights, University of Helsinki
27.04.2017
Legislative powers of the executive: necessary for effective government or a threat to (parliamentary) democracy and the rule of law?
Vortrag im Rahmen des Projektseminars "Parliamentary Law-Making in the Arab World"
Université de Carthage, Tunis
24.04.2017
On the use and abuse of constitutional courts
Keynote Lecture im Rahmen des Doktorandenkolloquiums "Institutional Preconditions for Effective and Inclusive Governance in the Arab World"
Université de Carthage, Tunis
24.10.2016
Models and Mechanisms of Constitutional Review
Afghan Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution
Kabul
27.06.2016
Sharia and the fundamentals of the European constitutional order: antagonism or complementarity (or both)?
Grazer Gespräche zu Scharia und Recht
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
21.01.2016
Constitutional Courts in the Arab Spring
Dialogue Series Governance and Constitutions
Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations London
21.09.2015
An example of a failed transition: the case of Egypt
Expert Seminar Law & Politics of State Transformation - International Intervention and Domestic Interim Governance
European University Institute Florenz
09.07.2015
Los mecanismos de cumplimiento de las decisiones del TEDH en Alemania
Coloquio Iberoamericano: Diálogo interamericano y europeo sobre los mecanismos de cumplimiento de las sentencias de los tribunals regionales de derechos humanos
Max-Planck-Institut für Völkerrecht, Heidelberg
04.12.2014
Consideration of International Law by Constitutional Courts
Workshop mit dem jordanischen Verfassungsgericht, Amman
26.11.2014
La protection des droits des minorités dans le contexte des révoltes arabes
Colloque "Droit et mouvements sociaux: quelles interations? Les cas des révoltes dans le monde arabe", Heidelberg
30.10.2014
Das 'Westfälische System' des Völkerrechts: Faktum oder Mythos?
350 Jahre Universität Kiel - Ringvorlesung des Walther-Schücking-Instituts: Das Völkerrecht vom 17. Jarhundert bis zur Gegenwart, Kiel
02.06.2014
Constitutionalism and the Functions of Constitutions
First Workshop with the Network of Afghan Constitutionalists, Heidelberg
20.03.2014
Egypt's Constitutional Crisis
Workshop "Constitutional law in times of change" mit Richtern des thailändischen Verfassungsgerichts
05.12.2013
The 'dawla madaniyya' and the reform of the judiciary in the Arab spring
The constitutional reforms produced by the Arab spring in the judicial sector have been highly unequal in outlook and effectiveness. While the attempts in Egypt to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and to end the system of exceptional courts, including an excessive role of military courts, have had only limited success, the efforts undertaken in Tunisia to implement the concept of ‘civil state’ also in the judicial sector look more promising. Constitutional reform of the judiciary, especially with regard to constitutional review, has also figured prominently in some of the other reform processes triggered by the Arab spring, namely in Morocco and Jordan, where they have been tightly controlled by the reforming monarchies. The professionalization and the independence of the review bodies have been strengthened through the requirement that only persons recognized for their legal and professional competence may it on these bodies. Moreover, the new constitutional courts in Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan have been given powers which would allow them for the first time to adjudicate on the constitutionality of statutes and other legal provisions in the context of concrete litigation, thus creating a potential opening for individual and civil society organizations to submit their rights claims to them. However, certain ambiguities continue to exist which might be exploited by the executive in order to check the new-found power of the judges.
Seminar "Claims to Justice: Islamic law and constitutional debates in the Middle East", Danish Institute for Human Rights, Kopenhagen
03.12.2013
Models of constitutional review
Seminar "Strengthening constitutional review in Kyrgyszstan", Max-Planck-Stiftung für Internationalen Frieden und Rechtsstaatlichkeit, Heidelberg
26.09.2013
Derechos humanos, Estado de derecho y democracia como principios esenciales
Seminar "Ius Constitutionale Commune Latino-Americano: A Emergência de um Novo Direito Público no Século XXI", Pontifíca Universidade Católica de São Paulo
19.09.2013
Constitution-Building in Africa
Constitution-building in Africa has a troubled history. The first-generation of
post-independence constitutions which were negotiated with, or more frequently
imposed by, the departing colonial powers tried to introduce concepts of liberal
democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights into often highly fractured
communities which as a result of their colonial past were ill prepared to
accommodate these ideas. Not surprisingly, these constitutions failed to gain any
real traction and were soon replaced by either military rule or one party regimes
which claimed to reflect indigenous concepts of governance and legality. It is
only with the wave of democratisation which seized many parts of the continent
after the collapse of communism in the early 1990s that constitution-building in
Africa seems to have come into its own. For the first time in African history
constitution-making processes enabled broader sectors of society to get involved,
and the constitutions which were drawn up as a result reflect the basic needs and
aspirations of the different groups and communities to a far larger extent than at
any previous time (e.g. South Africa 1994/1996, Kenya 2010). The new
constitutional texts are often of a highly complex and ambitious nature, and they
have to operate in the most difficult circumstances, characterised, among other
things, by weak traditions of democratic governance, ethnic tensions, limited
resources and the constraints resulting from increased global competition.
Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies, Stellenbosch
21.08.2013
Human Rights in the Financial Crisis
Heidelberg Center para América Latina, Santiago de Chile
25.04.2013
Los mecanismos de integración regional en los tiempos de la crisis financiera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa
24.04.2013
La jurisdicción constitucional en la República Federal Alemana
Symposio sobre los sistemas de jurisdicción constitucional en América Latina y Europa, Tegucigalpa
18.02.2013
Constitutional reform in Egypt, Morocco and Jordan in the wake of the Arab spring
Seminar on Muslim Constitutional Law and the Dawla Madaniyya, University of Copenhagen
20.11.2012
Vom Symbol der Freiheit zum Symbol der Gerechtigkeit? Die neuen Verfassungen Lateinamerikas
Lateinamerika-Treffen der Stiftung Entwicklungs-Zusammenarbeit, Stuttgart
04.10.2012
The Main Challenges in Drafting a National Bill of Rights - Lessons from Europe
Konferenz "Constitution Building and Protection - International and Vietnamese Experiences", Hanoi
Lehre
Sommeremester 2019
Einführung in die Verfassungsrechtsvergleichung
Juristische Fakultät der Universität Göttingen, Mi., 16:00 - 18:00
Sommersemester 2018
Grundfragen
der Verfassungsrechtsvergleichung
Juristische Fakultät der Universität Göttingen, Mi., 16:00 - 18:00
Sommersemester 2017
Der Jugoslawien-Konflikt und die neue Völkerrechtsordnung
Sarajevo, Bosnien-Herzegovina, 19.-28.09.2017
Sommersemester 2017
Grundlagen der Rechtsvergleichung im Öffentlichen Recht
Göttingen, Mi., 16:00 - 20:00 (14tägig)
Sommersemester 2016
Rechtsvergleichung im Öffentlichen Recht
Göttingen, Mi., 16:00 - 18:00
Sommersemester 2015
Einführung in die Rechtsvergleichung im Öffentlichen Recht
Göttingen, Mi., 16:00 - 18:00
Sommersemester 2014
Internationaler Menschenrechtsschutz
Göttingen, Mi., 16.00 - 18.00
Sommersemester 2013
Internationaler und Europäischer Menschenrechtsschutz
Göttingen, Mi., 16.00 - 18.00
Mitgliedschaften
Vereinigung der Deutschen Staatsrechtslehrer
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationales Recht
Société française pour le droit international
Gesellschaft für Rechtsvergleichung