Gabriele Gratton and Barton E. Lee write for ProMarket on government responses to COVID-19 and flexible constitutions.

A new paper argues that exploitation of gaps within democratic constitutions during emergencies, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, has the potential to erode democracies if emergency measures remain when the public health crisis subsides. But more rigid constitutions may have the same ultimate effect. The ability to partially restrict civil liberties in emergencies within a tight constitutional framework is vital to the survival of liberal democracies.