At least on paper, Sudan's year-old constitution enshrines democratic practices and a separation of powers that make it look almost like a liberal western democracy.

ECONOMIST: Sudan

And although Lord Wakeham has a reputation as a fixer rather than a radical, his first consultation paper, published last week, surprised some constitution-watchers by posing more searching questions than expected such as whether there is a case, not broached in the white paper, for giving the upper house extra powers as a constitutional watchdog.

ECONOMIST: Lords reform

The paper notes that there would ultimately be a written constitution in an independent Scotland but that a constitutional platform, covering such matters as finance, the law and international agreements, would be needed in the interim to enable Holyrood to operate independently.

BBC: Giving in to temptation

The problem, though, is more fundamental: Just like our constitution, it turns out that words on paper cannot, of themselves, control what people do.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

Independent Al-Watan ridicules Islamists' proclamations that the new constitution would bring prosperity to Egypt: the paper's main headline says stability will only be achieved once there are enough dollars.

BBC: Egyptian press debates constitution referendum results

Andrew Johnson, our first impeached President, was said to have waved around his pocket constitution so often that he resembled a newsboy hawking the daily paper.

NEWYORKER: The Commandments

This paper, the first of a short series on Mexican immigration double standards, examines the Mexican constitution's protections against immigrants, and concludes with some questions about U.S. policy.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Mexico's Glass House

The paper says to emphasise the importance of this responsibility, the government should seek to include it in the NHS Constitution.

BBC: Ministers back call to quiz patients on lifestyles