Accounting for participation, separation of powers and democratic accountability, federalism gains momentum in times when traditional democratic legitimacy of institutional decision-making is challenged. Its ability to include multiple interests makes federalism a means to ensure good governance.
Based on a multidisciplinary analysis, the book tackles the question of whether federalism as a pragmatic governance tool provides answers to current challenges and what those answers are. Thirty-three leading experts critically examine to what extent federalism serves this purpose in compound states, looking at different countries and policies.
The volume revolves around five sub-themes: ‘federalism, democracy and governance’, ‘participation mechanisms and procedures’, ‘policy areas compared’, ‘institutional innovation and participatory democracy’ and ‘federalism: from theory to governance’.
Francesco Palermo, Ph.D (1998), University of Innsbruck, is the Head of the Institute for Studies on Federalism and Regionalism at the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen (EURAC) and Professor of Comparative Public Law at University of Verona. He has over 200 publications in several languages, including 10 monographs, particularly in comparative, Italian and European constitutional law, minority rights, cross-border cooperation, federalism and regionalism.
Elisabeth Alber, is Senior Researcher and Program Officer (EURAC Federal Scholar in Residence Program) at the Institute for Studies on Federalism and Regionalism at the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen (EURAC). Her research and publications mainly focus on comparative federalism and regionalism, participatory and deliberative democracy in compound states, autonomies and minority rights.
Introduction: The Idea and the Aim of this Book
Elisabeth Alber and Francesco Palermo;
Part I: Federalism, Democracy and Governance
1. Multilevel Governance and the Reconfiguration of Political Space:Theoretical Considerations from a Multinational Perspective
Alain-G. Gagnon;
2. The Interdependence of Federalism and Democracy in Australia
Cheryl Saunders;
3. Political Identity and American Federalism
G. Alan Tarr;
4. Policy Coercion and Administrative Cooperation in American Federalism
John Kincaid;
Part II: Participation Mechanisms and Procedures
Part II A: Asymmetries and Identities
5. ‘Fragile Federations’ and the Dynamics of Devolution
Nico Steytler and Jaap de Visser;
6. The Unsettled Settlement: Scottish Independence or United Kingdom Devolution?
Michael Burgess;
7. Constitutional Semantics and Autonomy within Indian Federalism
Ajay Kumar Singh;
8. Genesis of Federalism, Regional Development, and Regional Policy of Post–Soviet Russia
Viacheslav E. Seliverstov;
Part II B: Intergovernmental Relations
9. Can We Talk About Federalism and Federalization Without Co-Governance? ‘Participation’ of the Autonomous Communities in Spanish Central Government Decision-Making
Mercè Corretja Torrens and Mireia Grau Creus;
10. Intergovernmental Relations in Australia: New Modes, Old Realities
Alan Fenna and John Phillimore;
11. Intergovernmental Decision-Making in Financial Affairs in Germany: Institutions, Formal and Informal Rules, and Peculiarities
Gisela Färber;
12. Fiscal Federalism and Federal Decisions: The Case of Argentina and Its Evolution in the Last Two Decades
Miguel Angel Asensio;
Part III: Policy Areas Compared
13. Multilevel Governance of Immigration: An Emerging Trend for Europe to Follow?
Karl Kössler;
14. Challenging Institutional Models: The Case of Environmental Protection and Management
Mariachiara Alberton and Francesco Palermo;
15. ‘South Africa Inc.’: The Rise of the Developmental State and the Corporatization of Intergovernmental Relations
Derek Powell and Phindile Ntliziywana;
16. Benchmarking as a New Mode of Coordination in Federal Systems
Alan Fenna and Felix Knüpling;
17. Federalism as Decision-Making: Security Structures, Procedures and Policies
Christian Leuprecht, Mario Kölling and Todd Hataley;
18. Regionalization in Central and Eastern Europe: Limits and Perspectives of an Externally Driven Process
Sara Parolari and Martina Trettel;
19. Varieties of Decentralization, Institutional Complementarities, and Economic Growth: Evidence in OECD Countries
Andrea Filippetti and Agnese Sacchi;
Part IV: Institutional Innovation and Participatory Democracy
20. Participatory Initiatives and New Instruments of Direct Democracy in Austrian Federalism
Peter Bußjäger;
21. Theoretical Framework and Constitutional Implications: Participatory Democracy as Decision-Making in Multilayered Italy
Matteo Nicolini;
22. Framing Subnational ‘Institutional Innovation’ and ‘Participatory Democracy’ in Italy: some Findings on Current Structures, Procedures, and Dynamics
Elisabeth Alber and Alice Valdesalici;
23. Subnational Institutional Innovation and Participatory Democracy: the Case of Switzerland
Nicolas Schmitt;
Part V: Federalism: From Theory to Governance
24. Regulating Pluralism: Federalism as Decision-Making and New Challenges for Federal Studies
Francesco Palermo;
Index.
All interested in federal and regional studies, and anyone concerned with subnational constitutionalism, comparative policy analyses, multilevel governance, the legal, the economic, sociological and institutional account of federalism, and diversity management. The publication is also interesting for all persons dealing with comparative constitutional law and politics as well as with participatory and deliberative democracy.