Constitutional Identity and Comparative Constitutionalism: Lessons from India and Beyond

About the Speaker

Professor Gary C. Jacobson is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego, and a leading scholar of American constitutional politics. His work examines the relationship between elections, political institutions, and constitutional governance, with a particular focus on Congress, party systems, and democratic accountability. Through his extensive scholarship on electoral behaviour, divided government, and partisan polarisation, Professor Jacobson offers deep insights into how constitutional identities are shaped, contested, and sustained within democratic systems. His comparative perspective on political institutions enables a nuanced understanding of constitutional practice across jurisdictions, including the United States and India. He is the author of several seminal works, including Money in Congressional Elections, The Politics of Congressional Elections, and The Electoral Origins of Divided Government. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has also served on the Council of the American Political Science Association and as its Treasurer.