INCO-LATAM
PROJECT
The project is designed as a collaborative and interdisciplinary initiative (bringing together legal scholars, data scientists, software developers, and designers), fostering cooperation among countries and institutions.
The International Network on Constitutionalism in Latin America (INCO-LATAM) is a collaborative, research-driven initiative that seeks to respond to a persistent challenge in the region: constitutional court decisions are often dispersed, difficult to compare, and not readily accessible across countries. To address this gap, INCO-LATAM seeks to build a shared infrastructure for comparative legal research by combining international academic partnerships, robust data governance, and artificial intelligence tools. In practical terms, the project supports the development of structured databases and accessible outputs that enable the analysis of relevant constitutional decisions across Latin America.
The project seeks to build a database of landmark decisions in constitutional cases related to fundamental rights from the constitutional courts of 18 Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The data collected, duly classified and catalogued, along with the analyses and interpretations of that data, will be made available to the public through a website. The research aims to facilitate access to comparative information on the performance of Latin American constitutional courts, not only through a robust methodology for classifying essential constitutional topics in a comparative and transnational dimension, but also by serving as a repository of primary sources (data) and secondary sources (analyses) for future studies on Latin American constitutionalism.
To that end, the project seeks to introduce new methods into the field by applying empirical research and artificial intelligence to large sets of judicial decisions from Mercosur Constitutional Courts. This approach supports comparative studies on fundamental rights, constitutional review, and the role of constitutional courts in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
O que buscamos alcançar?
Establish a cross-country judicial database (full-text decisions)
Compile the complete texts of landmark decisions in constitutional review from the project's target jurisdictions. The database will be organized by country repositories under shared standards for metadata, documentation, access, and security, ensuring data quality and long-term usability.
Produce accessible, research-ready outputs
Develop an interactive dashboard offering searchable content, dynamic filters, maps, and export tools, supported by clear user guidance and technical documentation. We will also provide a curated, reproducible foundation for academic inquiry and evidence-based institutional dialogue.
Build AI tools for classification and comparative analysis
SDG (Agenda 2030) Classifier: develop a model to categorize decisions according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, adapted to legal reasoning and regional contexts, inspired by initiatives such as RAFA 2030.
Human Rights & Fundamental Rights AI: develop an AI system that supports structured annotation and natural-language querying of constitutional jurisprudence across Latin America.
Generate academic and institutional impact
Produce reports, collective publications, and technical outputs that consolidate findings and methods. Afterwards, we will promote dissemination through seminars, workshops, and conferences, strengthening a durable network of national and international cooperation.
Partners
Nacional: Brazilian Federal Supreme Court
Internacional: Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Chile; Universidad Externado de Colombia, Colombia; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico; The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia; University of Texas (UTexas), United States
