EFFECTUATING THE CONSTITUTION: CONSTITUTIONAL LAW IN VIEW OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROGRESS

The modern social and welfare state is no longer influenced by the laissez-faire philosophy of the nineteenth century. Undoubtedly, economic growth and improving social policy added to the stability of democracies during the last decades. A certain economic standard is an important prerequisite for the existence of a state governed by the rule of law. Consequently, a modern state, to protect its economic and social basis, has to participate in the economic process and is responsible for the basic elements of social security. However, the manner and extent of state activities in these fields are dependent on the economic and social order and contribute considerably to it. This will be demonstrated in six steps. The social market economy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Basic Law of 23 May 1949, as her constitution, may serve as an example for consideration.

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1 Ulrich Karpen, Soziale Marktwirtschaft und Grundgesetz. Eine Einführung in die rechtlichen Grundlagen der sozialen Marktwirtschaft, Baden-Baden, 1990, p. 14ff.
2 Ulrich Karpen (ed.), The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany: Essays on the Basic Rights and Principles of the Basic Law (with a translation of the Basic Law), Baden-Baden, 1998.
3 Federal Constitutional Court, Official collection of decision, vol 1, pp 104 etseg, at p 114 [BverfGE 1, 104 (114)] 1, p. 104ff.
4 BVerfGE 7, 377 (400); E 50, 290 (338).
5 Dieter Grimm, Die Zukunft der Verfassung, in: Staatswissenschaften und Staatspraxis, 1990, p. 5ff. (12); Wilfried Fiedler, ‘The Strengthening of the Executive in the Contemporary Constitutional System’, in: Christian Starck (ed.), Rights, Institutions and Impact of International Law According to the German Basic Law: The Contributions of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Second World Congress of the International Association of Constitutional Law, Baden-Baden, 1987, p. 95ff. (102).
6 Ulrich Karpen, ‘Legislative Theory and the German Society of Legislation’, in Ulrich Karpen, The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany and its Economic Order: Some Observations after 40 years, four essays, Hamburg, 1989, pp. 26-88; Meinhard Schröder, ‘Inflation of Legal Rules’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit., p. 115ff.
7 Ulrich Karpen, Die Unterscheidung von Staat und Gesellschaft als Bedingung der rechtsstaatlichen Freiheit, in Juristische Arbeitshlätter, 1986, p. 417ff.
8 Ulrich Karpen, ‘Application of the Basic Law’, in Christian Starck (ed.), Main Principles of the German Basic Law: The Contributions of the Federal Republic of Germany to the First World Congress of the International Association of Constitutional Law, BadenBaden, 1983, p. 55ff.
9 Eckart Klein, ‘Human Rights of the Third Generation’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit. (fn. 5), p. 63ff.
10 Ulrich Karpen, ‘Zu einem Grundrecht auf Umweltschutz’, in Werner Thieme (ed.), Umweltschutz im Recht, Berlin, 1988, pp. 9-24.
11 BverfGE 33, 303 (333).
12 BVerfGE 39, 1 (36) (protection of the foetus); E 46, 160 (164) (security of nuclear energy installations), E 56, 54 (73) (noise of aircraft).
13 Wolfgang Graf Vitzthum, ‘Citizens’ Participation in State Functioning’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit. (fn. 5), p. 159ff.
14 Wilfried Fiedler, ‘The Strengthening of the Executive in the Contemporary Constitutional System’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit. (fn. 5), p. 115ff.
15 Meinhard Schröder, ‘Inflation of Legal Rules’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit. (fn. 5), p. 115ff; Ulrich Karpen, ‘Zum gegenwärtigen Stand der Gesetzgebungslehre in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland’, in Zeitschrift für Geselzgebung, 1986, p. 5ff.
16 Christian Starck, ‘Constitutional Definition and Protection of Rights and Freedoms’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit. (fn. 5), p. 47ff.
17 Ulrich Karpen, (fn. 8), p 86.
18 Gunnar Folke Schuppert, ‘The Constituent Power’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit. (fn. 8), p. 37ff.
19 Analogous to Bertrand Russell; Ulrich Karpen, op. cit. (fn. 8) p. 64, fn. 37.
20 Georg Brunner, Die Problematik sozialer Grundrechte, Tübingen, 1971, p. 36.
21 Eibe Riedel, ‘Assertion and Protection of Human Rights in International Treaties and Their Impact in the Basic Law’, in Christian Starck (ed.), op. cit. (fn. 5), p. 198ff.
22 Eibe Riedel, ‘Bundesverfassungsgericht und Europäischer Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte’, in Europäische Grundredte Zeitschift (?), 1978, p. 264ff.
23 Eibe Riedel, op. cit. (fn. 21), p. 218.
24 Stefano Rodotà, ‘The Charter of Fundamental Rights’, in Reports of the First European Jurists Forum, Nuremberg 2001, Baden-Baden, 2001, p. 20.