Knowledge, History, and Visibility

Abstract

Most constitution makers have little knowledge or experience with constitution making as they begin the task, and they may not be helped very much by advice tendered by experts concerning apt processes. They may actually be affected unduly by biases or by historical experiences that condition their choice of process. And they may also act on perceptions of group interest. They may perceive that time to get the drafting done is short, and outside advisors may urge a quicker process than is optimal. For all these reasons, constitution makers may choose from a more limited menu of process choices than are actually available.