Political conflict, political polarization, and constitutional compliance

In this paper, we study the relationship between the degree of political conflict / political polarization within a state and compliance with the country's constitution. While the economic approach to constitutions highlights their role in resolving conflict, recent work on the de jure / de facto distinction in relation to various constitutional rules suggests that political conflict could play a role in explaining the size and evolution of the gap between constitutional text and constitutional practice. We aim to provide a more in-depth analysis of these complex relationships both in the theoretical and empirical dimensions. The conclusions of our study may shed more light on the recent constitutional crises in several countries.