ASSIGNMENT

Imagine you were tasked to propose a constitution for a new, democratic state. What institutional arrangements regarding the structure of executive, legislative, and judicial systems would you recommend?

Would you opt for a presidential or parliamentary system? Set elections as some form of single member district or proportional representation? Case law or code law? Any other provision you believe would be important? Give the reasoning behind your choices, addressing what impact your preferred constitutional provisions would likely have on number of political parties, the focus on issues or candidate personality during political campaigns, and establishing protection of rights of the minority while still enabling majority rule overall. To illustrate these points, make reference to the structures of at least three (3) of the following countries discussed in the text and lectures: France, Germany, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Be sure to give citations for all sources you quote or use in a substantive way (including any on-line sources you may use), with a reference page at the end using either MLA or Chicago formatting. Try to organize your answer well, with both introductory and concluding paragraphs indicating the overall direction of the paper, and the general argument that you are making.