Hybrid regimes and constitutionalism with adjectives

The article opens by addressing the complex role of constitutionalism in democracy-building processes, and argues that although from an ideal perspective constitutionalism should guide democracy on the road to its consolidation, this has been not always the case. To prove such an assumption, the article introduces as an example the “third wave” of democratization which resulted in the proliferation of hybrid regimes or authoritarian regimes (a trend also called “democracy with adjectives” or “authoritarianism with adjectives”). The authors then further reflect upon the role of constitutionalism in contemporary non-democratic regimes (a phenomenon also known as “constitutionalism with adjectives”), and introduce Central Asia as an ideal case study for investigating the practices of illiberal constitutionalism.