Research Symposium

BIO

I am a second year political science major on the pre law track in the honors program. I chose UROP and this topic because of my long standing interest in politics and the formation of our government. I will continue to perform this type of research as my legal career develops and I eventually make my way to law school.

Polycentric Constitutionalism

Abstract

The reason that research into politics, specifically polycentric constitutionalism, is so important is because of its application in the real world. Politics affects every part of your life, whether you would like it or not. The constitution is the document that affects your life the most, some would argue. This means that analysis of the supreme court and their effects on the constitution must be studied. The specific issue that there is an emphasis on in this research is the effect of current events on the supreme court's decisions. Does the supreme court make their decisions solely based on interpretation of the constitution or do they consider the political optics of their decision as well? This is a question that must be answered. The bulk of research that I have performed has been online via scholarly sources. The end result of this is to have a comprehensive understanding of polycentric constitutionalism. There has not been a specific finding from this research yet, nor will there most likely be. The study of politics is most definitely qualitative not quantitative, meaning the results will be complex and holistic, rather than a definitive answer.

Keywords: constitution, politics, government