Signe Rehling Larsen

Signe Rehling Larsen is an Associate Professor in Constitutional Studies at the School of Law, University of Warwick. Her research focuses on constitutional theory, comparative constitutional law, federalism, and European Union law, emphasizing their interplay with international geopolitics. She challenges conventional narratives of the EU as a unique legal order, arguing it is a federal union rooted in historical precedents of composite polities. Her work includes analyzing varieties of constitutionalism across EU Member States and the legacy of empire in European legal frameworks.

Her recent book, The Constitutional Theory of the Federation and the European Union (OUP, 2021), reinterprets the EU as a federal entity distinct from the nation-state or empire. Current projects explore the EU’s federal telos, comparative federalism, and post-colonial legacies in European law. She also examines constitutional conflicts within the EU, such as Poland’s governance issues, through a federal theory lens.

Her research integrates historical, theoretical, and comparative perspectives, aiming to inform strategic governance in global and regional systems. Beyond academia, she contributes to public discourse on EU integration, democracy, and the rule of law through interviews and interdisciplinary collaborations.