Overview

Federal systems are praised for creating political stability, but they are also blamed for causing rigidity. They are said to balance powers, but apparently they are also threatened by instability due to drifts in power. Federalism should support democratization, but it can also constrain the power of the demos and strengthen the executive. In short, there is widespread agreement that federal systems are dynamic. The forces, mechanisms and consequences of federal dynamics, however, are not sufficiently understood so far. This book brings together leading experts in the field of comparative federalism to highlight how the interplay of continuity and change systematically generates and reinforces varieties of federalism and varieties of federal dynamics. Federal Dynamics: Continuity, Change and Varieties of Federalism investigates mechanisms and resulting patterns of federal development. It offers new analytical concepts and discusses different theoretical propositions to systematically compare convergent and divergent trends in federal systems. Acknowledging the theoretical pluralism that dominates the field, the book is organized around four sections: Models, Varieties and Dimensions of Federalism; Timing, Sequencing and Historical Evolution; Social Change and Political Structuring; and Actors, Institutions and Internal Dynamics.The contributions to this volume are variously concerned with three guiding questions: What changes within federal systems, how and why? The focus provided by these three guiding questions allows for a dialogue between strands of the literature that have not talked to each other in a sufficient manner. In this way, the book makes a significant contribution to the growing literature on continuity and change in federal systems. Ultimately, it represents a substantive effort in advancing research on comparative federalism.

Full Product Details

Author:   Arthur Benz (, Professor of Political Science at the Technische Universität Darmstadt) ,  Jörg Broschek (, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Technische Universität Darmstadt)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.20cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 24.00cm
Weight:   0.768kg
ISBN:  

9780199652990

ISBN 10:   0199652996
Pages:   410
Publication Date:   31 January 2013
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 1: Arthur Benz and Jörg Broschek: Federal Dynamics: Introduction Part I: Models, Varieties and Dimensions of Federalism 2: Arthur Benz: Dimensions and Dynamics of Federal Regimes 3: Thomas Hueglin: Comparing Federalisms: Variations or Distinct Models? 4: César Colino: Varieties of Federalism and Propensities for Change Part II: Timing and Sequencing and Historical Evolution 5: Jörg Broschek: Between Path Dependence and Gradual Change: Historical Institutionalism and the Study of Federal Dynamics 6: Kathleen Thelen and Sebastian Karcher: Resilience and Change in Federal Institutions: The Case of the German Federal Council 7: Tulia Falleti: Decentralization in Time: A Process-Tracing Approach to Federal Dynamics of Change 9: Mikhail Filippov and Olga Shvetsova: Federalism, Democracy and Democratization 10: Anthony Sayers and Andrew Banfield: The Evolution of Federalism and Executive Power in Canada and Australia Part III: Social Change and Political Structuring 11: Daniel Béland and André Lecours: Federalism, Nationalist Politics, and Social Policy: How Ideas and Institutions Interact to Produce or Prevent Change 12: Lori Thorlakson: Dynamics of Change in Federal Representation 13: Wilfried Swenden and Simon Toubeau: Mainstream Parties and Territorial Dynamics in the UK, Spain and India Part IV: Actors, Institutions and Internal Dynamics 14: Jenna Bednar: Constitutional Change in Federations: The Role of Complementary Institutions 15: Bettina Petersohn: Constitutional Reform and Federal Dynamics: Causes and Effects 16: Nicole Bolleyer): Paradoxes of Self-Coordination in Federal Systems 17: Dietmar Braun and Philipp Trein: Economic Crisis and Federal Dynamics Arthur Benz and Jörg Broschek: Conclusion: Theorizing Federal Dynamics

Reviews

This edited book is ambitious and insightful, drawing on the distinct and diverse theoretical traditions of constitutional design and reform, historical development, comparative federalism and institutionalism, to better elucidate the ontology and dynamics of federal systems. Students will find it a challenging but not inaccessible text, which will abundantly reward their diligent attention. Federal Governance

Author Information

Arthur Benz's research, over the last decade, has focused on politics and policy-making in multilevel governance and constitutional change in federal or federalising systems. The results of his research have been published in books and journals such as Public Administration, Regional and Federal Studies, Publius: The Journal of Federalism, and West European Politics. He is Professor of Political Science at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany. Jörg Broschek is author of a book on Canadian federalism (Der kanadische Föderalismus. Eine historisch-institutionalistische Analyse, Wiesbaden 2009). His articles have been published in academic journals including the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Regional and Federal Studies, and the Swiss Political Science Review. He is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. His current research focuses on institutional and policy change in federal systems.

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