Comparative constitutionalism has always been an important field of study. Recently it has gained new importance, and practical urgency, with the advent of new, emerging democratic governments. As part of the study of comparative constitutionalism, federal constitutional systems have also recently taken on a renewed interest. Russia and South Africa present fascinating current examples of emerging federal systems in which sub-national constitutions are beginning to play an important role. Within the field of comparative federal constitutional law, though, The study of state or sub-national constitutions is only now becoming a major focal point of worldwide interest. Sub-national constitutions have been, and generally remain, low-visibility constitutions. Studies of constitutional federalism have tended to be almost exclusively top-down looks at the national constitution and its federal features rather than a bottom-up look at the national constitutions themselves. A system of constitutional federalism cannot be fully understood without analyzing the constitutional arrangements within the constituent units. The marketplace For The constitutional ideas generated in the laboratories of states within the federal systems is rapidly expanding worldwide. There are several dozen bona fide federal political systems in the world, As well as unitary political systems that include federal arrangements. There is a range of general questions to be asked about the constitutions of states within any federal system. The contributions to this volume, In addition to their intrinsic interest, should serve as a database for answering those questions and describing the extraordinary diversity within and among sub-national constitutions in federal systems. Moreover, each of the contributions will include the texts of a number of representative sub-national constitutions. This Volume is also an integral part of Constitutional Law in the International Encyclopaedia of Laws series, ISBN 90-6544-944-2.