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This essay reviews Ran Hirschl's City, State: Constitutionalism and the Megacity, a study of 'the great constitutional silence concerning one of the most significant phenomena of our time: urban agglomeration and the rise of megacities' and which maintains that the solution to contemporary urban problems crucially depends on a 'constitutional emancipation' of the city. The essay argues that Hirschl is unable to deliver on his major claim. Launching his thesis on a skewed account of the development of the political role of the city, a one-sided presentation of the constitutional order of the modern state, and a failure to appreciate the impact of urbanization on the city's standing as a unit of government, Hirschl ignores the work of public lawyers on the challenges of metropolitan government and argues, unconvincingly, that these challenges can be resolved once we turn to the abstractions of constitutional theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented that discusses public law studies. The author examines the relations between constitutional law, state government, and the notion of sovereignty. Further discussion focuses on the impact of 21st-century events on international politics and government. The author argues against the notion that multi-level constitutionalism will replace discussions of public law in the 21st century, although he notes that emphasizing state matters may help constitutional studies flourish.