Dr Paolo Sandro wins important funding bid
Dr Sandro, Associate Professor of Public Law and Legal Theory, has been successful in his application to a joint funding scheme between the University of Leeds and the University of Hamburg.
The project title is 'Extra-legal constitutionalism', acronym EX-CONST, co-led with Dr. Tanja Porčnik, Faculty of Law, Hamburg.
The project (£8400) will run from June 2025 to December 2026 and will investigate how extra-legal norms (also known as constitutional conventions) underpin the concept of constitutionalism.
Dr Sandro says:
Extra-legal norms have a mysterious nature. They are norms and principles of political morality said to govern the behaviour of constitutional actors informally. Why cannot the King refuse Royal Assent to a bill duly passed by Parliament? No statute prohibits him. This is why constitutional conventions matter, even though they are not (usually) written down and their scope is often a matter of debate.
Dr Sandro has recently organised an event in the UK Parliament on the relevance of constitutional conventions from the perspective of parliamentarians.
The project will involve exchange visits between the two universities, a joint paper, and academic workshops. They also plan to lay the groundwork for future projects, e.g. a large academic conference, and future funding bids.
This funding scheme is part of a strategic partnership with Hamburg that agreed to work together on joint activities to tackle inequalities, benefit society and drive change through educational excellence.
Dr Sandro says:
I’m so pleased to have been co-awarded this funding and to have the opportunity to work with Dr Porčnik on the nature and function of constitutional conventions. This is hopefully only the first step of a long-term research collaboration between the Leeds and Hamburg teams on this important topic.
The School of Law congratulates Dr Sandro and Dr Porčnik on this important success.
Dr Sandro was awarded a prestigious Academic Parliamentary Fellowship in 2024. He is a member of the Centre for Law and Social Justice and can be found on Bluesky @paolosandro.bsky.social
