Citizen Participation in Multi-level Democracies offers an overview of new forms of participatory democracy in federally and regionally organised multi-level states. Its four sections focus on the conceptual foundations of participation, the implementation and instruments of democracy, examples from federal and regional States, and the emergence of participation on the European level. There is today a growing disaffection amongst the citizens of many states towards the traditional models of representative democracy. This book highlights the various functional and structural problems with which contemporary democracies are confronted and which lie at the root of their peoples’ discontent. Within multi-level systems in particular, the fragmentation of state authority generates feelings of powerlessness among citizens. In this context, citizens’ participation can in many cases be a useful complement to the representative and direct forms of democracy.

Effective governance is vital for all nations and can be made easier with advanced technology and communication. Through various collaborative efforts and processes, developing nations can enhance their economies with multi-level governance. Multi-Level Governance in Developing Economies is a collection of innovative research on the applications and theories of multi-level governance in the developing world. It illustrates the practical side of multi-level governance by emphasizing special policies such as immigration, innovation, climate, local government, and construction. While highlighting topics including Europeanization, politics of the developing world, and immigration policies, this book is ideally designed for academicians, policymakers, government officials, and individuals seeking current research on the usage and impact of multi-level governance in emerging economies.

Democratic innovations are proliferating in politics, governance, policy, and public administration. These new processes of public participation are reimagining the relationship between citizens and institutions. This Handbook advances understanding of democratic innovations, in theory and practice, by critically reviewing their importance throughout the world. The overarching themes are a focus on citizens and their relationship to these innovations, and the resulting effects on political equality. The Handbook therefore offers a definitive overview of existing research on democratic innovations, while also setting the agenda for future research and practice.

This collection discusses the challenges of reforming EU democracy through increased citizen participation beyond elections. It asks fundamental questions such as whether the institutionalisation of citizens in EU public law is a prerequisite for addressing these challenges and the extent to which such institutionalisation is taking place in the EU. To these ends, the contributors analyse the latest institutional initiatives, proposals and practices such as: *citizen assemblies; *citizen consultations and dialogues on European integration and draft legislation; *the Conference on the Future of Europe; *the reform of the European Citizens' Initiative; *the evolving role of the European Ombudsman; *citizen petitions to the European Parliament; *the roles of the civil society and the European Economic and Social Committee. Offering reflections on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this book is a much needed reminder of the importance of the role of citizens in EU governance.

This book analyses the impact of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on EU non-discrimination law and governance. The CRPD places the protection of persons with disabilities at the heart of international human rights law. The Convention is the first human rights treaty open for signatures by regional organisations, and the European Union favourably acceded to it in December 2010. Ten years after this historic event, this book explores whether the theory has been put into practice, and examines the effects of the CRPD on EU non-discrimination law and governance. This book brings together the practices of the European Court of Justice (CJEU) with regard to disability discrimination to show whether the CRPD is living up to its full potential to substantially improve the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in the EU. It examines whether the judicial interpretation of the Directive 2000/78/EC, establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, does or does not comply with the new legal background delineated by the CRPD. In addition, it investigates whether the governance mechanisms underlying the EU Framework for promoting, protecting and monitoring the CRPD are effectively fostering the implementation of the CRPD and the role of civil society. The prohibition of discrimination on grounds of disability has undergone substantial changes and developments since it was first introduced under international and EU law. This book highlights the main changes to disability discrimination which have occurred in the EU legal order in the last ten years. The book will be of interest to academics, law students and legal practitioners working in the field of EU non-discrimination and equality law.

Direct democracy, or pure democracy, is a concept spreading throughout the world, now adopted by nearly 30 countries on the national level. While the concept is not new, it is important to investigate the current benefits or hinderances of direct democracy related to local governments so that they may be implemented further. Direct Democracy Practices at the Local Level deepens the knowledge of direct democracy in political science. This book explores how local governments utilize these instruments in international governments and analyzes a series of popular initiatives and local referenda to how successful these initiatives are. Covering topics such as religious rights, street committees, and climate change, this book is essential for political science students and professors, policymakers, faculty, local governments, academicians, and researchers in political science with an interest in direct democracy procedures in representative systems.

This book is the result of a collective re¬flection among scholars from 8 federations and decentralized countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Mexico) who sought to update approaches and arguments on federalism in a post-COVID-19 scenario. On one hand, the pandemic highlighted the importance of federalism to deal with complex intergovernmental problems. On the other hand, federations also faced challenges to coordinate different spheres of government. The pandemic has allowed intense learning about the potential and limits of multilevel governance and federal arrangements in addressing emergencies and crises whose effects spread throughout the country. Regarding contemporary challenges such as climate emergency and democratic backsliding, which take on particular contours in federal, quasi-federal, and decentralized countries, the book offers insightful thoughts for scholars and practitioners. Federalism and federal countries can be pivotal in this debate due to their form of territorial division of power. This volume seeks to contribute to these discussions based on thoughts grounded on different national settings. The volume is organized in 16 chapters that contemplate essential topics on federalism and federations, based both on theoretical refl¬ections and empirical research. The chapters were mainly organized to offer for the authors a comparative perspective between the international debate and the Brazilian context. The book covers central issues such as federalism and institutional forms, federalism and democracy, federalism and de/centralization, managing interdependences and intergovernmental relations, federalism and ethnic diversity and federalism and challenges for the welfare state. Although this book is subject to the scrutiny of time, in line with changes in federations themselves, both organizers and authors aspire to provide ongoing debates with insightful contributions on Federalism and Democracy in Brazil and Beyond. This book is an essential reading for students and scholars of federalism, intergovernmental relations, multilevel governance and comparative politics.

Our modern security systems have recently come under a lot of criticism: as too bureaucratic and unadaptable, too secretive and untrustworthy, and too obsessed with information technology rather than human needs. Yet listing failures is easy; security is never perfect. The question is why current approaches fail and whether there are viable alternatives. The root of their shortcomings is in the interaction of the very pillars of our security system in the contemporary context. While our enemies have adopted the technologies of the Information Age, changing how they organize and fight, these same technologies have only created more vulnerabilities for states. Governments have been generally unwilling to maximize their use of these technologies because it would require the wider release of information and the opening of organizational structures to include society in security making. Yet countering diffuse modern threats striking deep into our states and across our economies requires mobilizing the diffuse skills and variation of modern society. Open approaches for mobilizing participation and coproduction have the capabilities needed to improve contemporary security policy making, problem solving, and provision. Moreover, open participatory security can be effective not only for technical security, but also for restoring trust among the citizens and rebuilding the legitimacy of the state.

This is the first comprehensive book that explores the subject of federalism from the perspective of comparative constitutional law, whilst simultaneously placing a strong emphasis on how federal systems work in practice. This focus is reflected in the book's two most innovative elements. First, it analyses from a comparative point of view how government levels exercise their powers and interact in several highly topical policy areas like social welfare, environmental protection or migrant integration. Second, the book incorporates case law boxes discussing seminal judgments from federal systems worldwide and thus demonstrates the practical impact of constitutional jurisprudence on policymakers and citizens alike. “This is simply the best analysis of contemporary federalism currently available. It is comprehensive in its coverage, thorough in its analysis, and persuasive in its conclusions. Every student of federalism, from novice to expert, will find benefit from this volume.” Professor G Alan Tarr, Rutgers University “Wading through the thicket of the multiple forms that the federal idea has taken in the contemporary world, this remarkably comprehensive treatise backed by case law fills a long-awaited gap in the literature on comparative federalism. It combines a mastery of the literature on federal theory with a critical understanding of how it plays out in practice. Outstanding in the breadth of its scope, this magisterial survey will serve as a work of reference for generations of scholars who seek to understand how federalism works in developed as well as developing countries.” Professor Balveer Arora, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi “This book is an extraordinarily handy work of reference on the diverse federal-type systems of the world. It handles both shared principles and differences of perspective, structure or practice with confidence and ease. It will become a standard work for scholars and practitioners working in the field.” Professor Cheryl Saunders, The University of Melbourne “This is a remarkable book – for its sheer breadth of scope, combining detail of practice with analysis of federal principles, and for its fresh look at federalism. With great erudition, drawing on world scholarship and the practice of federalism across the globe, Palermo and Kössler magnificently traverse from the ancient roots of federalism to the contemporary debates on ethno-cultural dimensions and participatory democracy. The book sets a new benchmark for the study of comparative federalism, providing new insights that are bound to influence practice in an era where federal arrangements are expected to deliver answers to key governance and societal challenges.” Professor Nico Steytler, University of the Western Cape