Constitutions reflect the social and political character of nations and frame their legal and political systems. Constitutional guarantees can be used to demand greater equity in the delivery of and access to basic services, to challenge discriminatory legislation and practices, and to change social norms.
The WORLD Policy Analysis Center has examined in detail the civil, political, social, economic, and equal rights in the constitutions of all 193 UN member states. WORLD has analyzed over 50 specific constitutional rights across a range of areas, performing a comprehensive analysis of constitutional protections of equality and non-discrimination, as well as other rights that matter to achieving equality, across race/ethnicity, citizenship status, statelessness, disability, language, religion, physical disability, intellectual disability or mental health condition, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socio-economic status.
Our maps in this section provide a sample of WORLD findings regarding the existence and quality of constitutional protections across groups that ensure essential economic and social rights.
For a more complete view on how constitutions can help support and protect equal rights, you can download a free version of our book, Advancing Equality: How Constitutional Rights Can Make a Difference Worldwide at AdvanceEquality.org.
