This presentation assesses the process of comparing subnational constitutions in federal states from three points of view. First is a top-down assessment of the federal constitution’s subnational constitutional “space,” or competency for the component units to adopt their own constitutions. This is a legal assessment, but influenced by context, with consent and dissent as an important factor. Devolutionary federal states are likely to have narrower space than integrationist federal states. Second is a bottom-up assessment of how the component units actually utilize this competency. This is a political question, which is also influenced by the measure of trust and distrust. Third is a legal assessment of the process of policing the limits of subnational constitutional space, and also on the limits of federal intrusion of such space.

Our 2020 Annual Conference was scheduled to be held at the University of Wrocław in Poland on July 9-11, 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our next Annual Conference will take place from July 8-10, 2021. The conference, "ICON•S Mundo", will be held online. Details regarding the organization of the 2021 Conference will follow soon.
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