Constitution Day Lecture: A Matter of Trust: How Social Capital Facilitates Constitutional Amendments

The Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE) and the Political Science Department hosts a Constitution Day lecture featuring Dr. William D. Blake, Associate Professor of Political Science at UMBC 6:15 p.m., Thursday, September 17, in Perdue Hall Room 156. Blake explores why some democracies amend their constitutions with ease while others remain frozen in time. Drawing on global data and an experiment involving the Equal Rights Amendment in America, he examines social capital—including trust in political institutions and civic engagement—as the missing ingredient that can help political entrepreneurs clear the hurdles put up by the amendment process. The lecture draws from Blake’s recent book, "The Social Foundations of Constitutional Innovation," co-authored with Joseph Francesco Cozza and Dave A. Armstrong II.