Book excerpt: This book analyzes the formal constitutional changes that have recently taken place in the Asia-Pacific region, embracing the countries of East and South East Asia and the Pacific Island states. In examining the different constitutional systems in the region, it asks several key questions: What constitutional arrangements operate in the region and how can their fundamental differences be explained? How do social, political and economic factors limit the effectiveness of the existing constitution? What lessons are gained for the practice of constitutionalism elsewhere?