Role and Function of the Second Chamber

Some Constitutions provide a Second Chamber of Parliament to ensure an additional element in the balance of powers and an additional opportunity for reflection in the process of legislation. This general goal of bicameralism is provided in the constitutions of – among others – Austria, Switzerland (»Ständerat«), Germany (»Bundesrat«), Portugal and the United States of America.
The study presents Federal Systems in which the Länder are represented by a Second Chamber on the national level as well as Systems in which nobility (House of Lords), Universities or the churches (corporativism) are represented in the Second Chamber. A modern interpretation will find the legitimacy of Second Chambers in the gain of pluralism and separation of powers.
The study provides for an excellent access to the basic structures of constitutionalism, democracy and appreciation of the constitutional state. The book presents an overview of European Constitutions in a comparative perspective. – The conference on which the book is based, has been prepared by the European Association of Legislation (EAL), which has members in about thirty countries.