The UCNP project has held a series of workshops, works-in-progress and research meetings, including in Berlin in 2024.
The UCNP project is led by researchers at Durham, uOttawa, and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.
The UCNP project hosts a series a workshops for PhD and postdoctoral researchers.
This project examines the phenomenon of unwritten constitutionalism from a comparative and inter-disciplinary perspective, focussing on three jurisdictions: Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
By comparing each country’s approach to unwritten constitutional norms and principles, the project's researchers will explore common issues faced by all constitutional orders, identify the factors that influence the recognition, definition and enforcement of unwritten constitutional rules, and investigate the role of judicial enforcement of a constitution’s unwritten rules in an era of democratic backsliding.
Recent outreach and media.
Our team members @vanessamacdonnell.bsky.social and @plagasse.bsky.social have been cited in Saskatchewan (Minister of Education) v UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity 2025 SKCA 74 on the evolution of the Canadian constitution ⬇️[image or embed]— Unwritten Constitutional Norms and Principles Project (@ucnpproject.bsky.social) 12 August 2025 at 00:05
Our team members @vanessamacdonnell.bsky.social and @plagasse.bsky.social have been cited in Saskatchewan (Minister of Education) v UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity 2025 SKCA 74 on the evolution of the Canadian constitution ⬇️[image or embed]
Take a look at some of the UCNP project's previous research workshops.
On Monday 2nd June, the UCNP project, in collaboration with the UK Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitution Hub and UCL's Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism, held a workshop exploring the role of politicians and key parliamentary personnel in sustaining the unwritten dimension of constitutionalism. This event, hosted in Westminster, featured panellists from UCL, Durham University, the Institute for Government, uOttawa, and Parliament itself.
Click below to find out more about the project and its research teams
Durham Law School
Durham University
Palatine Centre
Stockton Road
Durham
DH1 3LE, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)191 334 2800
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