Dr Amal Sethi

I am a Lecturer in Public Law at the University of Leicester, where I convene the modules on Constitutional and Administrative Law and Advanced Constitutional and Administrative Law. I also serve as the Deputy Secretary General of the International Society of Public Law (ICON·S) and the co-convenor of its Interest Group on Constitution-Making. My primary research focuses on comparative constitutional law and politics. I have secondary interests in legal theory, empirical analysis of law, and European and international law.

Beyond my academic work, I maintain an active consultancy practice with governmental and intergovernmental agencies. Past consultancies have included work for USAID, the US Department of Commerce, CEDAW, UNESCO, UNDP, UN Women, UNHCHR, and the SDG Fund.

Prior to Leicester, I held a multi-year research position at the University of Hamburg (2021–2024), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through its Excellence Strategy. I have also held positions and/or affiliations at the University of Pennsylvania (2020–21, 2024), Harvard University (2021–23), the University of Liverpool (2021–22), the National Law School of India University (2021), and the Legal Priorities Project (2021). Earlier in my career, I worked with the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (2015–16), Chief Justice F.I. Rebello of the Allahabad High Court (2013–15), Citizens for Justice and Peace (2011–13), and Justice Roshan Dalvi of the Bombay High Court (2011).

My research explores questions in comparative constitutional law and politics through an interdisciplinary lens.

One strand of my work addresses constitutional design and constitution-making, exploring how constitutions are drafted, why some fail, and what role elites play in these processes. A second strand examines courts and judicial politics, including questions about judicial deference, the role of constitutional courts in democratic societies, and the conditions under which courts should intervene in constitutional change. A third strand takes a broader view of constitutionalism itself, examining its limits as a response to democratic backsliding, the role of constitutional literacy in democratic politics, and the place of non-legal forces, including culture and politics, in sustaining constitutional orders.

My work has been published or is forthcoming among others in the American Journal of Comparative Law, European Constitutional Law Review, Global Constitutionalism, Modern Law Review, Constitutional Studies, Vienna Journal of International Constitutional Law, The Journal of Federalism, Indian Law Review, Journal of Party Studies, Common Law World Review, Asia Pacific Law Review, International Review of Constitutional Reform, Keele Law Review, Global Review of Constitutional Law, The University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, The University of Missouri Kansas City Law Review, Cambridge Handbook of The Limits of the Constituent Power, Routledge Handbook on European Exceptionalism, Research Handbook on Comparative Federalism, Routledge Handbook on the Law of Greater China, Edward Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Representation, etc.

Below are my key publications as of July 2026. For a full and up-to-date list of my publications, including open-access versions and preprints, see my ORCID and SSRN pages.

• Amal Sethi, 'Adaptive Federalism: Design Principles for Federal Amendment Rules' in Erika Arban (ed), Routledge Handbook on Comparative Federalism (forthcoming).
• Amal Sethi, 'Can Universities Advance Equity Under Constraint?', Archives of International Law (forthcoming).
  Amal Sethi, 'Elites and Constitutional Legitimacy' in Lars Vinx and Raffel Fassel (eds), Cambridge Handbook on The Limits of the Constituent Power (forthcoming).
• Amal Sethi, 'The Taliban's Constitutional Multitextuality' in Richard Albert (ed), Multitextual Constitutions (Hart) (forthcoming).
• Amal Sethi and Brian Christopher Jones, 'Non-Majoritarian Institutions' in André Freire et al (eds), Edward Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Representation (2026) 707–714.
• Amal Sethi, 'Book Review: Gautam Bhatia, Horizontal Rights' (2026) 11(2) Constitutional Studies 539.
• Danny Schindler, Amal Sethi, and Michael Riegner, 'Public Law and Political Oppositions: An Introduction to a Complex Relationship' (2025) 57(4) VRÜ Verfassung und Recht in Übersee 493.
• Amal Sethi, 'The Indian Supreme Court and Constitutional Amendments: Insights for the Debate on the Comparative Political Process Theory and the Comparative Representative Reinforcement Theory' (2025) 14(2) Global Constitutionalism 371.
• Amal Sethi, 'Politicising Constitutional Court Appointments in Europe' (2025) 21(2) European Constitutional Law Review 193.
• Amal Sethi, 'Rule of Law in Afghanistan: Prospects Under the Taliban Rule' in Marek Safjan (ed), The Revival of the Rule of Law Issue (2024) 57–78.
• Amal Sethi et al., 'Afghanistan: Constitutional Reform in 2023' in Luís Roberto Barroso and Richard Albert (eds), The 2023 International Review of Constitutional Reform (2024) 17–21.
• Amal Sethi, 'Stopping Authoritarian Populist Projects: Why Constitutionalism is not the Sole Answer' in Akritas Kaidatzis et al (eds), The People's Constitution, European Union and its Neighbours in a Globalized World (2024) 165–177.
• Amal Sethi, 'Towards Reimagining the Autonomous City' in Richard Albert, Nathalie Des Rosiers, and Alexandra Flynn (eds), The Past, Present, and Future of Canadian Cities (2024) 213–228.
• Amal Sethi, 'The Difference Constitutional Literacy Can Make: Critical Insights from Crisis-Ridden India' (2024) 10 Constitutional Studies 63.
• Amal Sethi, 'Justiciability of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in India' in Angelika Nußberger and David Landau (eds), Justiciability of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (2024) 483–503.
• Amal Sethi, 'When Should Courts Invalidate Constitutional Amendments?' (2024) 18(1) Vienna Journal of International Constitutional Law 25.
• Amal Sethi, 'Looking Beyond the Constituent Power Theory: A Theory of Equitable Elite Bargaining' (2024) 13(1) Global Constitutionalism 126.
• Amal Sethi, 'Reassessing Public Participation in Constitution-Making Processes' (2023) 32(1) Revista Díkaion 1.
• Amal Sethi, 'Sub-Constitutionally Repairing the United States Supreme Court' (2023) 52(4) Common Law World Review 128.
• Amal Sethi et al., 'Afghanistan: Constitutional Reform in 2022' in Luís Roberto Barroso and Richard Albert (eds), The 2022 International Review of Constitutional Reform (2023) 15–19.
• Amal Sethi, 'Passing Electoral Laws' (2023) 3 Journal of Party Studies 277.
• Amal Sethi, 'Introduction: New Frontiers in Comparative Judicial Review' (2023) 34(2) National Law School of India Review 1.
• Amal Sethi, Book Review: David Landau and Hannah Lerner (eds), Comparative Constitutional Making and Richard Albert, Xenophon Contiades, and Alkmene Fotiadou (eds), The Law and Legitimacy of Imposed Constitutions (2023) 70(3) American Journal of Comparative Law 651.
• Amal Sethi et al., 'Afghanistan: Constitutional Law in 2021' in Richard Albert et al (eds), 2021 Global Review of Constitutional Law (2022) 9–12.
• Amal Sethi, 'Special Administrative Regions and Constitutional Spaces for Cities' in Ngoc Son Bui, Stuart Hargreaves, and Ryan Mitchell (eds), Routledge Handbook on the Constitutional Law of Greater China (2022) 98–112.
• Amal Sethi, 'Lessons for Interdisciplinary Research: Review of Richard Holden and Rosalind Dixon, From Free to Fair Markets' (2022) Law School Policy Review.
• Amal Sethi et al., 'Afghanistan: Constitutional Reform in 2021' in Luís Roberto Barroso and Richard Albert (eds), The 2021 International Review of Constitutional Reform (2022) 7–11.
• Amal Sethi, Book Review: Marie Seong-Hak Kim, Constitutional Transition and the Travail of Judges (2022) 30(1) Asia Pacific Law Review 188.
• Amal Sethi, 'Towards a Pluralistic Conception of Judicial Role' (2021) 91(1) University of Missouri (Kansas City) Law Review 69.
• Amal Sethi, Book Review: Adam Chilton and Mila Versteeg, How Constitutional Rights Matter (2021) 85(2) Modern Law Review 571.
• Amal Sethi, 'The Method and Madness of Authoritarian Constitution Making in Democratic Regimes' (2021) 3(1) Nuovi Autoritarismi e Democrazie 6–24.
• Amal Sethi, 'Taking the Constitution Away from the Supreme Court of India' (2021) 33(1) National Law School of India Review 1.
• Amal Sethi, 'National Crisis and the Role of Courts' (2021) 3 Keele Law Review 65.
• Amal Sethi, 'An Introduction to the Constitutional Law of Afghanistan' (2021) 5(2) Indian Law Review 250.
• Amal Sethi, Book Review: Ran Hirschl, City, State: Constitutionalism and the Megacity (2021) 51(2) Publius: The Journal of Federalism E14.
• Amal Sethi, 'Afghanistan: Constitutional Law in 2020' in Richard Albert et al (eds), 2020 Global Review of Constitutional Law (2021) 8–12.
• Amal Sethi, 'Preventing Constitutional Decay in India: Some Preliminary Considerations' in Tom Daly and Wojciech Sadurski (eds), Democracy 2020: Assessing Constitutional Decay, Breakdown & Renewal Worldwide (2020) 217–221.
• Amal Sethi, 'India' in Rangita De Silva De Alwis (ed), Women's Economic Empowerment (2018) 57–68.
• Amal Sethi, 'Playing by the Tribunals Rules: A Solution for Resolving the Conflict Between Rules and Practice in IIA Interpretation' (2017) 38 Penn Journal of International Law Online 1.
• Amal Sethi, 'Separationist Regimes and Positive Human Rights Obligations' (2017) 9(1) Government Law College Review 1.
• Amal Sethi, 'An Exaggerated Account of the ICSID – Reply to Professor Broad' (2016) 37 Penn Journal of International Law Online 1.
• Amal Sethi, 'Please Ask for More – A Demand to the Women of Libya: An Analysis of the Means to Achieve Gender Equality' in Rangita De Silva De Alwis (ed), Mapping the Impact of Gender Equality Provisions and Constitution Making (2016) 92–104.
• Amal Sethi and Kishu Daswani, 'Holding Corporations Liable under the Rome Statute of the ICC – Is It Necessary?' (2014) 7 Chorzowskie Studies in Politics 207.
• Amal Sethi, 'Vessel Protection Detachments and the Search for Immunity' (2014) 8(1) Government Law College Review 1.

I would be open to receiving inquiries from students interested in projects in the following areas. 

Constitutional Law

• UK Constitutional and Administrative Law (institutional design, constitutional reform, courts, judicial review, and devolution)
• Comparative Constitutional Law
• European Constitutional Law
• Constitutional Theory

European Law and Policy

• European Constitutional Law
• European Human Rights Law

Human Rights Law

• Constitutional and Administrative Law (constitutional protection of human rights)
• Courts and Human Right Protection
• Human Rights Law (particularly comparative projects)

Socio-Legal Studies

• Empirical Analysis of Law (particularly constitutional, human rights, and European law)
• Judicial Politics
• Democratisation

Generally, I would be more helpful as a supervisor if your prospective project aligns with either my current/past projects or the methods and jurisdictions used in my projects.

I am currently the module convenor for Constitutional and Administrative Law (undergraduate) and Advanced Constitutional and Administrative Law (undergraduate), a tutor for Canadian Constitutional Law (undergraduate) and I have previously taught on the European Convention on Human Rights (postgraduate).

At other institutions, I have taught courses such as Jurisprudence, Comparative Constitutional Law, Constitutional Interpretation, European Constitutional Law, Freedom of Expression, Constitution-Making, and Human Rights Law.

I welcome media inquiries on global developments in constitution-making, democracy, and the rule of law. I am also happy to provide comparative insights into UK public law and constitutional reform.

• Deputy Secretary General, International Society of Public Law (ICON·S): 2024–present
• Co-Chair, ICON·S Constitution-Making Interest Group: 2023–present
• Member, ICON·S Committee on Community Engagement and Diversity: 2021–present
• Editorial Board Member, Law and Other Things: 2023–present

I have previously organised or co-organised conferences, summer schools, and workshops in Brasilia, Dublin, Hamburg, London, Madrid, Pretoria, Sydney, Wellington, and Wroclaw. Earlier roles include Director of Technology for ICON·S (2021–2024), Associate Editor of Verfassungsblog (2021–2022), Co-Convenor of the Hamburg Lecture Series in Comparative and International Public Law (2021–2023), and Trustee for Dagar: Pathway (2016–2023).

• University of Pennsylvania (Doctor of Juridical Sciences)
• University of Pennsylvania (Master of Laws)
• Government Law College Mumbai (Bachelor of Laws)