Editorial Policy, Coverage and Process

Updates & Publishing Policy

The updated text of each country and subnational constitution are sourced by the General Editors and then translated by teams of constitutional law experts with specialist knowledge of particular jurisdictions. The constitutional text is fully updated to include all amendments to that text, and editorial notes provide reference and background to the nature of the provision’s changes, in most cases, providing an historical view of the text of that provision.

The same constitutional law expert provides the analytical commentary to each jurisdiction, providing an historical perspective to the constitution’s development, highlighting its salient functioning structures, and reviewing recent constitutional changes as well as a preview of changes to come.

Manuscripts are submitted to Oxford University Press, and each document is reviewed for editorial completeness and accuracy, as well as enhanced with the addition of digital tags and cross-references to provide the full integrated functionality of the website.

While the extent and frequency of constitutional change vary by jurisdiction, OUP seeks to publish a constitutional update within 3-6 months of any constitutional amendment activity or change. This provides the time for an expert English translation to be completed and reviewed, as well as the full analytical commentary to be written. When there is significantly impactful constitutional change in a particular jurisdiction, OUP will endeavor to publish the language and text of the change as soon as practicable following the event; the jurisdictional overview commentary will follow when the relevant and comprehensive analysis has been completed.

What is contained in Oxford Constitutions of the World?

Oxford Constitutions of the World covers the constitutional laws of 203 countries and 215 subnational, special sovereignties, autonomous regions, and disputed and/or irredentist jurisdictions. While not applicable to all jurisdictions, the database contains the following types of documents:

Constitutions

• English language (proprietary expert translations or editorially approved official translations) primary constitutions, as amended and updated with integrated amendments.
• English language (proprietary expert translations or editorially approved official translations)  amendment laws/acts.
• Where available, selected original language versions of foreign‐language constitutions (in PDF), as published by the country or jurisdiction of issue (usually Official Gazette).

Historical Constitutions

• Superseded versions of constitutions. When constitutions are updated in the product, the prior version is retained to allow for historical comparative research.

Commentary

• Constitutional‐law expert‐prepared essays providing the developmental history of the constitution, explaining the salient points of each part of the government as constructed by the constitution, discussing relevant recent developments and expected current/future changes and otherwise placing the constitution in its historical and legal context for the researcher.
• Select Bibliographies of additional articles and texts as part of country‐level commentaries.

Supplementary Documents

• Laws/Acts setting up the Constitutional Court or similar constitution‐adjudication body. National laws, treaties, peace agreements and other/relevant official documents.
• Foundation documents/agreements/laws/acts which either founded the country or otherwise set up the country and its constitution.
• Relevant United Nations documents.

Books

• Selection of key titles from Oxford’s constitutional law and comparative constitutional law list.
• Browse a listing of currently available titles here.

What does a Country Update contain?

Each update will contain:

• An updated Constitution for that jurisdiction, with amendments and changes fully integrated into the document.
• An updated comprehensive analytical commentary about the constitutional law of that jurisdiction that includes discussion of the salient functional constitutional departments of that jurisdiction as well as their development and an overview of recent and expected changes.
• A bibliographic listing of books, articles, and other resources to aid in further jurisdictional constitutional research.
• Where applicable, the updated law or instrument that governs the constitutional law adjudicative body (i.e., Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Court of Cassation) of that jurisdiction.

Previously published version of the jurisdiction’s constitution and relevant documents will be archived to aid in historical and comparative developmental research.

What jurisdictions are covered in Oxford Constitutions of the World?

Oxford Constitutions of the World currently contains constitutions for the following 203 countries, and 215 subnational jurisdictions, special sovereignties, autonomous regions, and disputed and/or irredentist jurisdictions:

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Chechen Republic
• Chechnya
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the
• Congo, Republic of the
• Costa Rica
• Cote d'Ivoire
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• East Timor
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Ethiopia
• European Union
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
• Korea, Republic of
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyz Republic
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mali
• Malta
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Micronesia, Federated States of
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Myanmar
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Northern Ireland
• Norway
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Palestine
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• Rwanda
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Scotland
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Slovak Republic
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Tibet
• Togo
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• Uruguay
• United States of America
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Wales
• Yemen
• Yugoslavia
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Special Sovereignties

• Liechtenstein
• Somaliland
• Vatican City

Disputed

• Abkhazia
• Chechnya
• Nagorno Karabach
• Tibet
• Transnistria

Historical Jurisdictions

• Serbia and Montenegro
• Yugoslavia

Sub-national Jurisdictions

• Aimeliik
• Airai
• Alabama
• Aland Islands
• Alaska
• Alberta
• Alderney
• American Samoa
• Andalusia
• Angaur
• Anguilla
• Antarctic Possessions
• Aosta Valley
• Apure
• Aragon
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Aruba
• Ashmore and Cartier Islands Territory
• Asturias
• Australian Antarctic Territory
• Australian Capital Territory
• Azores
• Azores; Madeira
• Baja California
• Baker, Howland and Jarvis Islands
• Balearic Islands, The
• Bashkortostan
• Basque Country [Euskadi], The
• Bermuda
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federation of
• British Antarctic Territory
• British Columbia
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• British Virgin Islands
• Buenos Aires
• California
• Canary Islands, The
• Cantabria
• Castile and Leon
• Castile-La Mancha
• Catalonia
• Catamarca
• Cayman Islands
• Chechen Republic
• Chiapas
• Christmas Island
• Chuuk [Truk]
• Cocos [Keeling] Islands Territory
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Cook Islands
• Coral Sea Islands Territory
• Cordoba
• Corsica
• Crimea
• Delaware
• Diego Garcia
• District of Columbia
• Extremadura
• Falkland Islands [Malvinas]
• Faroe Islands
• Florida
• French Polynesia
• French Southern and Antarctic Lands
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• Galicia
• Geneva
• Georgia
• Gibraltar
• Greenland
• Guam
• Guantanamo Bay
• Guernsey
• Hatohobei
• Hawaii
• Heard Island and McDonald Islands
• Hidalgo
• Hong Kong
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Isle of Man
• Jammu and Kashmir
• Jersey
• Jujuy
• Kansas
• Kayangel
• Kentucky
• Koror
• Kosrae
• KwaZulu-Natal
• La Rioja
• Lapland
• Louisiana
• Lucerne
• Macao
• Madeira
• Madrid
• Maine
• Manitoba
• Marshall Islands
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Mayotte
• Michigan
• Michoacan
• Midway Islands
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Montserrat
• Murcia
• Navarre
• Navassa Islands
• Nebraska
• Netherlands Antilles
• Neuchatel
• Nevada
• New Brunswick
• New Caledonia
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New South Wales
• New York
• Newfoundland
• Ngaraard
• Ngarchelong
• Ngatpang
• Ngchesar
• Ngiwal
• Niue
• Norfolk Island Territory
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Northern Territory
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nuevo Leon
• Nunavut
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Ontario
• Oregon
• Palmyra Island
• Peleliu
• Pennsylvania
• Pitcairn Islands Group
• Pohnpei
• Prince Edward Island
• Puerto Rico
• Quebec
• Queensland
• Rhode Island
• Rondônia
• Ross Dependency
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• Sakha [Yakutia]
• Sardinia
• Sark
• Saskatchewan
• Sicily
• Sonsorol
• South Australia
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
• Spitsbergen and Jan Mayen
• Srpska, Republic of
• Tamaulipas
• Tasmania
• Tatarstan
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Tibet
• Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands
• Tokelau
• Trentino-South Tyrol
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• Tuva
• Utah
• Valencia
• Vatican City
• Vermont
• Victoria
• Virgin Islands
• Virginia
• Wake Islands
• Wallis and Futuna
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Western Australia
• Western Cape
• Western Sahara
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming
• Yap
• Yucatan
• Yukon