Fundamental Rules of Constitutions

The paper considers whether the nature of the state as a particular type of social institution has any necessary implications for the content of the rules of state constitutions; so, whether there are any rules that must be included in the constitution because of the nature of the state. It argues that there are some rules, including rules that identify the point of the state and some rules relating to constitutional change, that all states must possess. These are the foundational rules of the state, and cannot be altered if any state is to remain an instantiation of this type of social form.