This thesis investigates the question of whether judicial review of legislation is a hindrance to democracy. My main claim is that the existing literature on this topic fails to pay adequate regard to the symbolic significance of political institutions, that is, the role that legislatures and courts play in the popular imagination. I argue that we should not view constitutional systems merely as decision-making mechanisms, since a society’s institutional structure will colour its sense of political agency and shape the way in which citizens view their relationships with political officials and with one another. Different constitutional structures accordingly project different visions of constitutionalism and democracy. In particular, I argue, representative government should be viewed not merely as a compromise between equality of input and quality of output, but as a distinctively valuable form of government in its own right. The representative assembly serves as the focal point for public political debate and symbolises a commitment to government through an inclusive process of deliberation. Legislative supremacy – the practice of accepting the enactments of a representative assembly as the decisions of the people as a whole – can therefore allow the law to be seen as the output of the political power of a self-governing people. Judicial review, on the other hand, will tend to signify a set of boundaries around the democratic political process, thus truncating the people’s shared sense of self-government.

Rural Haiti provides an excellent case to study the human security crisis threatening women. Haitian women are often single mothers, leading average households of 4-6. In elected positions, female leadership is seldom recognized. With only 3.5% of parliament comprised of female leaders, policies decided at the state level seldom address the challenges women face in the countryside (HDI, 2017). Haiti has the highest mortality rate for children below the age of 5 and expectant mothers in the Western Hemisphere (WHO, 2017). This crisis is a significant one. When a mother struggles, both her life and her child's are threatened. Yet the human security crisis is not all we can learn from rural Haiti. We can also examine the unique ways women have chosen to respond to this crisis and the potential for female democratic agency. There is a significant lack of elected female officials in Haiti. This fact invites us to consider the impact rural Haitian females, such as the famn chay, are potentially making in Haiti. Famn chay are traditional birth attendants who assist mothers in their home deliveries. They are also first responders in times of crisis, providing meals to hungry families and using their collective resources to benefit children in need. Some famn chay, I suggest, are promoting an innovative form of democratic agency through their local community council, konsey kominote. Such form of agency does not focus on formal mechanisms of representation. Instead, threatened by growing social and income inequalities, this particular group has chosen to organize to address the human security crisis currently threatening women in rural Haiti. / MA / The human security crisis threatening women and children in rural Haiti has motivated Haitian traditional birth attendants known as the famn chay, to generate a response relative to the crisis and generate social change. This crisis is a significant one. When a mother struggles in childbirth, both the life of her and her child’s are threatened. Women in rural Haiti also face gender and economic inequalities. Despite these realities, the famn chay have chosen to mobilize and create what is known as a konsey kominote. Konsey kominote are community groups found throughout rural Haiti and are a key entry points for citizen engagement for many rural Haitians. This study seeks to examine the unique ways the famn chay have chosen to respond to the crisis through their konsey kominote and the potential for female democratic agency. There is a significant lack of elected female officials in Haiti. The historical roots of female gender discrimination stretch as far back as Haiti’s independence. By researching the impact rural Haitian females, such as the famn chay, are making in Haiti, we can begin to discover the potential for female democratic agency existing in rural Haiti.

This thesis examines the relationship between a cohousing community and a related ministry center in a mid-Atlantic state that seek to encourage an environment for people—with and without disabilities—to live together while fostering the individuality and autonomy among members of both groups. This thesis explores how these two organizations attempt to create space for individuals with disabilities to exercise personal agency and independence, as well as encourage mutual relationship building between persons with and without disabilities. The implications of their partnership were the central focus of this inquiry. The analysis investigates how the physical structures, locations, and accessibility of formal and informal spaces for people with and without disabilities residing in the cohousing community create opportunities for their visibility and exercise of agency. It also outlines the structure and aims of the nonprofit that collaborates with the cohousing community, as those relate to agential possibility, including the role of personal development through a faith-based identity. Overall, the thesis employs Iris Marion Young's framework for inclusive democracy to explore the effects of the combined efforts of these two entities for the perceived agency and autonomy of a sample of residents with disabilities participating in both (Young 1990, 2000). In particular, this analysis explores the central tenets of the two nonprofits' organizational cultures as those relate to political agency, by sharing the findings of semi-structured interviews with residents, staff, and board members about their experiences as a part of each institution. The analysis also details the primary features of the physical environments each FBO has created and their implications for the perceived agency of a sample of those residents with disabilities involved with both nonprofit organizations. It offers insight into the importance of identity, equal inclusivity, and opportunities for expression in formal and informal settings for the encouragement of agential possibility. The results of this study indicate that the relationship between the nonprofit and cohousing community has allowed individuals with and without disabilities the opportunity to take ownership of their friendships and relationships, including their relationship with God. This suggests that the role of faith in this community provides individuals with disabilities a chance to express agency over their personal faith life as well as their goals and ambitions. Individuals without disabilities in this community encourage this personal agency because of their own definition of personhood as understood through Christian faith. This inquiry was based on 12 semi-structured interviews with staff, governing board members and participants involved with each entity investigated as well as review of their websites and relevant documents concerning their visions, missions and goals. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning / The purpose of the research was to explore the relationship between a faith based day programming center for persons with disabilities and a related cohousing community, and how these two entities provided individuals with varying degrees of disabilities with opportunities to express personal agency and personal development. This inquiry was based on 12 semi-structured interviews with staff, participants, and governing board members as well as a review of these organizations’ documents concerning visions, missions, and goals. The results of this research indicate that these communities provide individuals with disabilities a chance to see themselves as important to society and ultimately to God. Opportunities for these experiences, according to participants in this study, stem from a place of Christian faith.