Putting the ombudsman into constitutional context

This article argues that in debates on constitutional reform more attention should be paid to the potential contained in the office of the ombudsman. It highlights four key areas of the constitutional activity in which the ombudsman is well designed to make a significant contribution. The argument is also made that both within and outside the UK there have been a number of developments in ombudsman practice in recent years that suggest that more is already being made of the ombudsman institution than previously understood.