Dr Amal Sethi

My primary research and teaching interests lie broadly in the comparative and interdisciplinary study of Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law). I have secondary interests in Legal Theory, Empirical Analysis of Law, European Law, and International Law. At the University of Leicester, I am the module convenor for Constitutional and Administrative Law and also lecture/tutor on the modules on Canadian Constitutional Law and the European Convention on Human Rights. 

In addition to my position at the University of Leicester, I serve as the Deputy Secretary General at the International Society of Public Law (ICON-S). I am also the co-chair of ICON-S's interest group on constitution-making and a member of its Committee on Community and Engagement. Between 2021-2024, I served as the ICON-S Director of Technology.

Prior to the University of Leicester, I was based at the University of Hamburg, Germany, where I undertook a multi-year (2021-2024) research project funded by the German Government's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through its Excellence Strategy. In the past, I have held short-term positions and/or been affiliated with 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).

My consulting experience has included work for various governmental and inter-governmental agencies such as USAID, the US Department of Commerce, CEDAW, UNESCO, UNDP, UN Women, UNHCHR, and The SDG Fund. Earlier in my career, I worked with the Center of 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).

I hold a Doctorate and Masters from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, where I was a Salzburg Cutler Law Fellow. I earned my Bachelors from the Government Law College, Mumbai, where I graduated with the Best Student Award and the Nivedita Nathany Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership.

My research has broadly explored questions in the field of public law using a comparative and interdisciplinary lens. In doing so, it has frequently touched upon other areas such as Legal Theory, Empirical Analysis of Law, European Law, and International Law. Some of the questions my recent publications have tackled are:

What is the role of constitutional courts in a democratic society? How should judges of constitutional courts be appointed? When should courts invalidate constitutional amendments? Why should societies reduce their dependence on courts? Why does the answer to the problem of global democratic backsliding lie in politics and not constitutionalism? What impact does constitutional literacy have on democratic politics? Should megacities be given more autonomy and constitutional standing? Why the constituent power theory has outlived its utility? Why do autocrats do a better job at drafting constitutions than those that champion democracy? Does modern-day constitution-making require public participation? When do constitutions fail? How can we design better 4th Branch or Guarantor Institutions? What is the role of opposition political actors in a constitutional system, and how can it be best channelled? What are the prospects for the rule of law in outright authoritarian regimes?

During the 2024-2025 academic year, I will be working on projects pertaining to judicial politics, institutional design, and constitution-making. 

As of August 2024, my work has been published among others in Global Constitutionalism, Constitutional Studies, Vienna Journal of International Constitutional Law, The Journal of Federalism, Indian Law Review, Journal of Party Studies, Common Law World Review, American Journal of Comparative Law, Modern Law 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, Routledge Handbook on the Law of Greater China, etc.

I have also edited special journal editions on Responsive Judicial Review (National Law School of India Review 2023) and Political Oppositions and Public Law (World Comparative Law 2025).

My publications from the academic year 2023-2024 include: 

• 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’, 213-228.
• Amal Sethi, ‘The Difference Constitutional Literacy Can Make: Critical Insights From Crisis-Ridden India’, 10 Constitutional Studies 63 (2024). 
  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', 483-503 (2024).
• Amal Sethi, ‘When Should Courts Invalidate Constitutional Amendments?’, 18(1) Vienna Journal of International Constitutional Law 25 (2024).
• Amal Sethi, ‘Looking Beyond the Constituent Power Theory: A Theory of Equitable Elite Bargaining’, 13(1) Global Constitutionalism 126 (2024).
• Amal Sethi, ‘Reassessing Public Participation In Constitution-Making Processes’, 32(1) Revista Díkaion 1(2023).
• Amal Sethi, ‘Sub-Constitutionally Repairing The United States Supreme Court’, 52(4) Common Law World Review 128 (2023).
• Amal Sethi et al., ‘Afghanistan: Constitutional Reform in 2022’ in Luís Roberto Barroso and Richard Albert (eds) ‘The 2022 International Review of Constitutional Reform’, 15-19 (2023).
• Amal Sethi, ‘Passing Electoral Laws’, 3 Journal of Party 277 (2023).
• Amal Sethi, ‘Introduction: New Frontiers in Comparative Judicial Review’, 34(2) National Law School of India Review 1 (2023).
• Amal Sethi, ‘Book Review: David Landau and Hannah Lerner (eds), ‘Comparative Constitutional Making’ (Edward Elgar 2019) and Richard Albert, Xenophon Contiades, and Alkmene Fotiadou (eds), ‘The Law and Legitimacy of Imposed Constitutions’ (Routledge 2019)’, 70(3) American Journal of Comparative Law 651 (2023).

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

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

• Comparative Constitutional Law
• UK Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative)
• European Constitutional Law
• Human Rights Law (particularly comparative projects) 
• Democratization 
• Judicial Politics
• Empirical Analysis of Law (specifically Constitutional, European, and Human Rights Law)

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). I also lecture/tutor on the modules on the European Convention on Human Rights (postgraduate) and Canadian Constitutional Law (undergraduate).

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

Deputy Secretary General, International Society of Public Law (ICONS): 2024-present

Editorial Board Member, Law, and Other Things: 2023-present 

Co-Chair, ICONS Constitutional Making Interest Group: 2023-present 

Member, ICONS Committee on Community Engagement and Diversity: 2021-present 

Mentor, One Future Collective: 2018-present 

In addition, during the academic year 2024-2025, I will be a part of the core organizing committee of the 2025 ICONS Annual Conference (Brasilia, Brazil) and the 2025 ICONS Summer Winter School for Junior Scholars (Sydney, Australia). 

In the past, I have been the Director of Technology for ICONS (2021-2024), Trustee for Dagar: Pathway (2016-2023); Associate Editor of Verfassungsblog (2021-2022), Co-Convenor of the Hamburg Lecture Series in Comparative and International Public Law (2021-2023). 

I have also been a Member of the Organizing Committee of the ICONS Annual Conference (2022 Wroclaw, Poland; 2023 Wellington, New Zealand; 2024 Madrid, Spain), a Member of the Organizing Committee of the ICONS Summer-Winter School For Junior Scholars (2023 and 2024 Sydney, Australia); Co-Organizer of the Hamburg-Pretoria Global South Meets Global North Summer School (2024 Pretoria, South Africa); Co-Organizer of the Comparative Constitutional Law Workshop (2023 Sydney, Australia); Co-Organizer of the Multidisciplinary Forum For Longtermism and the Law (2022, Hamburg, Germany).

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