International Symposium on Understanding Representative Governance | 1 August 2026

The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) and the Centre for Constitutional and Administrative Law (CCAL), National Law University, Jodhpur, with the support of the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF), organised the International Symposium on Representative Governance on 1 August 2026. Held during the Fulbright Specialist visit of Prof. Paul Koster, Professor of Practice at Emory University School of Law, the symposium sought to promote comparative constitutional dialogue on the legislative institutions of the United States and India.

Theme & Focus

The symposium focused on comparative legislative governance, with particular emphasis on deliberative democracy, bicameralism, legislative efficiency, executive accountability, legislative-judicial relations, delegated legislation, public finance, treaty-making powers, emergency governance, and constitutional design. The event brought together scholars, faculty members, practitioners, and students to examine the evolving role of legislatures in sustaining constitutional democracy through a comparative lens.

Participation

A total of 13 papers were selected for presentation through a competitive review process. The presenters represented a diverse range of institutions from across India, including

·       Sciences Po University, Paris,

·       Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU),

·       Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab,

·       National Law University, Delhi,

·       The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda,

·       Indian Institute of Technology Bombay,

·       Faculty of Law, University of Delhi,

·       University College of Law, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur,

·       University Institute of Legal Studies, Chandigarh,

·       Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, and

·       National Law University, Jodhpur.

The symposium thus witnessed participation from doctoral researchers, faculty members, postgraduate scholars, undergraduate students, alumni, and legal researchers from institutions across the country.

The technical sessions were assessed by an esteemed panel comprising Prof. Paul Koster, Prof. (Dr.) Niraj Kumar, Prof. (Dr.) Manwendra Tiwari, and Dr. Sayantani Bagchi. In addition to evaluating paper presentations, the panel engaged in a discussion on “What Sustains Public Faith in Legislatures?”, moderated by Dr. Rashmi Mathur, exploring questions of democratic legitimacy, public reasoning, legislative accountability, committee systems, constitutional conventions, and institutional trust.

The symposium witnessed the participation of approximately 133 attendees, including the 13 paper presenters, 88 LL.M. students, 20 members of CCAL, 10 faculty members of National Law University, Jodhpur, and research scholars of the University.

The symposium successfully fostered rigorous academic engagement on contemporary questions of legislative governance and comparative constitutional law. Through scholarly presentations and interdisciplinary discussions, it encouraged meaningful exchanges between participants from diverse institutions and is expected to contribute to future research, comparative scholarship, and informed discourse on strengthening representative democratic institutions.