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, National Law School of India Review, The University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, The University of Missouri Kansas City Law Review, Nuovi Autoritarismi e Democrazie, 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.

For a full and up-to-date list of my publications, including open-access versions and preprints, see my ORCID and SSRN pages.

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)