In a world where federal states seem to exist precariously, politicians and academics from around the globe continue to look to Canada as a model of federalism. And yet, our own system of organization and governance also appears strained: Quebec nationalism, First Nations’ claims, the regionalization of party politics, and the uneven and shifting delivery of essential services have all altered the face of federal politics. Federalism explains how Canada came to be a federation (what reasons there were for it, and against it, historically); what the challenges to federalism currently are; and how we might fortify some areas of weakness in the federal system. Jennifer Smith argues that federalism is part of the democratic problem now; however, reformed, it can be part of the solution. Since theorists disagree on the democratic credentials of federalism, it is essential to look at how a real federal system operates. Smith examines the origins of Canadian federalism and its special features, then analyzes it in relation to the benchmarks of the Canadian Democratic Audit project: responsiveness, inclusiveness, and participation. Finding that Canadian federalism falls short on each benchmark, she recommends changes ranging from virtual regionalism to a Council of the Federation that includes Aboriginal representatives. Democracy is about more than the House of Commons or elections. It is also about federalism. This sparkling account of Canadian federalism is a must-read for students and scholars of Canadian politics, politicians and policymakers, and those who care about Canadian democracy.

Federalism is one of the most influential concepts in modern political discourse as well as the focus of immense controversy resulting from the lack of a single coherent definition. Malcolm M. Feeley and Edward Rubin expose the ambiguities of modern federalism, offering a powerful but generous treatise on the modern salience of the term. “Malcolm Feeley and Edward Rubin have published an excellent book.” —Sanford Levinson, University of Texas at Austin “At last, an insightful examination of federalism stripped of its romance. An absolutely splendid book, rigorous but still accessible.” —Larry Yackle, Boston University “Professors Feeley and Rubin clearly define what is and is not federal system. This book should be required for serious students of comparative government and American government.” —G. Ross Stephens, University of Missouri, Kansas City “Feeley and Rubin have written a brilliant book that looks at federalism from many different perspectives—historical, political, and constitutional. Significantly expanding on their earlier pathbreaking work, they have explained the need for a theory of federalism and provided one. This is a must read book for all who are interested in the Constitution.” —Erwin Chemerinsky, Duke University School of Law

David Shapiro explores the virtues and defects of federalism as it has developed in this country from a variety of perspectives that include historical, constitutional, economic, social, and political considerations. Using the dialectical form adopted by advocates trying a case before a court, Shapiro not only examines the strongest arguments on the two principal sides of the issue but also probes the potential value of the dialectical process itself.

This book is a collection of 13 articles which grew out if a workshop on federalism and democratisation in Asia. But, unlike a great many of the publications which have their origins in conferences, this volume has a clear theme running through its contributions, almost all of which are excellent. . . The individual country studies. . . are highly informative, most making imaginative use of the country s history and current politics to illustrate the theme of the tension between nationalising centralisation and pressures for regional decentralisation. Many of these chapters have innovative conclusions about ways in which this tension can be understood. . . this is a serious book, very well produced and indexed. Its chapters are well written with useful notes and lists of references. The volume will be of great interest to specialists on the countries concerned, and has much to offer for anyone with an interest in federalism and the relationship between regionalism and democratisation. Campbell Sharman, The Australian Journal of Public Administration Federalism in Asia provides a valuable resource, both for scholars of Asia in general and for political theorists of federalism. In an academic climate where edited volumes are often assumed to be a lightweight option, Federalism in Asia demonstrates how rewarding this form of publication can be. Graham K. Brown, Political Studies Review Until now there have been few attempts to examine the different models of federalism appropriate in Asia, let alone to trace the extent to which these different perspectives are compatible, converging, or mutually influencing each other. This book redresses the balance by demonstrating the varieties of Asian federalism. Federalism in Asia explores the range of theoretical perspectives that shape debates over federalism in general, and over territorial, multinational, hybrid, and asymmetric federalism in particular relation to Asia. The contributors share their understanding of how federal or quasi-federal institutions manage ethnic conflicts and accommodate differences, how democratization facilitates the development of federalism and how federalism facilitates or inhibits democratization in Asia. Their conclusion is that hybrid federalism or quasi-federalism is more prevalent in some Asian countries than others; and the need and potential for greater federalism in more Asian countries makes this sortie into this area worthwhile. While federalism is relevant to Asia, the working pattern of Asian federalism does not necessarily follow a Western style. Hybrid federal institutional design can be seen as an Asian strategy of managing ethnic conflicts through federal arrangements. This unique book will be of great interest to a wide range of scholars and researchers who work on issues of federalism, political economy, public policy, ethnic relations, cultural diversity and democratization in the Asian region. Policymakers and activists dealing with issues of minority rights and ethnic conflict in the region, government officials and NGOs within Asia, and officials in international agencies and organizations will also find much to engage them.

Federalism: The Australian Experience offers readers a first-hand insight into one of the oldest federations in the world by an Australian expert, Prof Cheryl Saunders. The Australian Constitution is approaching its centenary and it is expected that students of political science, constitutional law, fiscal federalism and practitioners will in the years to come show a growing interest in how the constitution and practice are adapting to the demands of the 21st century. From a South African point of view, studies on Australian federalism have been somewhat neglected over the years. This is unfortunate and we hope that this publication will generate more interest in the subject. Some of the issues that could be of interest to South African researchers are for instance the treatment of indigenous people and efforts to accommodate their demands for land; the operation of the Commonwealth Grants Commission and its impact on policy, and the functioning of intergovernmental relations between the federal and state governments and also between state and local governments and between state governments themselves.

The Niger-Delta region is prone to conflicts and restiveness as a consequence of oil activities and under development, which, ultimately induce poverty. Oil, Democracy and the Promise of True Federalism in Nigeria attempts to demonstrate this unfortunate byproduct of federalism in Nigeria. Calling for resource control and the practice of True Federalism, the contributors of this volume identify some of the major endemic problems for the Niger-Delta people. It is in this light, that the contributors have presented the contending views on the challenges and opportunities on Nigeria's path towards the practice of True Federalism. Offering solution ideas for Niger-Delta development and the promotion of a peaceful coexistence, this comprehensive volume proposes hopeful, yet powerful arguments for the Niger-Delta region.

Federalism in a Changing World contains the scientific background papers, proceedings, and plenary speeches presented at the International Conference on Federalism 2002 held in St Gallen, Switzerland, in August 2002. The three principal topics of the conference were federalism and foreign relations; federalism, decentralization and conflict management in multicultural societies; and assignment of responsibilities and fiscal federalism. The volume comprises texts by more than seventy authors from twenty countries throughout the world. Contributors include Dauda Abubakar (University of Maiduguri, Nigeria), José Roberto Afonso (Brazilian Bank of Development, Brazil), Giuliano Amato (vice-president of the European Convention, Italy), Nicholas Aroney (University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia), Lidija Basta-Fleiner (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Richard Bird (University of Toronto, Canada), Raoul Blindenbacher (executive director, International Conference on Federalism 2002, Switzerland), Jean Chrétien (prime minister of Canada), Richard Crook (University of Sussex, UK), Bernard Dafflon (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Joseph Deiss (head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland), Udo Diedrichs (University of Cologne, Germany), Bernhard Ehrenzeller Bernhard (University of St. Gallen, Switzerland), Lars Feld (University of Marburg, Germany), George Fernandes (minister of Defence of the Republic of India), Sergio Ferreira (Brazilian Bank of Development, Brazil), Thomas Fleiner (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Xóchitl Gálvez (Presidential Office for Indigenous People, United Mexican States), Beat Habegger (University of St Gallen, Switzerland), Nicholas R.L. Haysom (Wits University and former legal advisor to the President, South Africa), William John Hopkins (University of Hull, UK), Rudolf Hrbek (University of Tübingen, Germany), Thomas O. Hueglin (Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada), Claude Jeanrenaud (University of Neuchatel, Switzerland), Isabelle Joumard (Economics Department of the OECD, France), Wlater Kälin (University of Berne, Switzerland), Jakob Kellenberger (former secretary of state of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland), Michael J. Kelly (Military Law Centre Department of Defence of Australia, Australia), Rahmatullah Kahn (Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Lund, Sweden/India), John Kincaid (Lafayette College, USA), Gebhard Kirchgässner (University of St Gallen, Switzerland), Arnold Koller (former president of the Swiss Confederation), Vojislav Kostunica (president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), Yves Lejeune (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium), Wolf Linder (University of Berne, Switzerland), Giorgio Malinverni (University of Geneva, Switzerland), Tim McCormack (University of Melbourne, Australia), Ruth Metzler-Arnold (Federal Department of Justice and Police, Switzerland), Flora Musonda (Economic and Social Research Foundation, Tanzania), Radmila Nakarada (Institute of European Studies, Belgrade, Yugoslavia), Wallace Oates (University of Maryland, College Park, USA), Luigi Pedrazzini (Conference of Cantonal Governments, Switzerland), Martin Polaschek (University of Graz, Austria), Bob Rae (Forum of Federations, Canada), Johannes Rau (President of the Federal Republic of Germany), Ash Narain Roy (Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, India), Nafis Sadik (special advisor to the United Nations Secretary General and former UNFPA executive director, Pakistan), Cheryl Saunders (University of Melbourne, Australia), Antonin Scalia (associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America), Benjamin Schindler (Federal Office of Justice, Switzerland), Nicolas Schmitt (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Wolfgang Schüssel (chancellor of the Republic of Austria), Anwar Shah (lead economist of the World Bank, USA/ Pakistan), Daniel Thürer (University of Zürich, Switzerland), Touré Toumani (president of the Republic of Mali), François Vaillancourt (University of Montreal, Canada), Ricardo Varsano (Institute for Applied Economic Research, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Guy Verhofstadt (prime minister of the Kingdom of Belgium), Jürgen von Hagen (University of Bonn, Germany), Ronald Watts (Queen's University Kingston, Canada), Joseph H.H. Weiler (New York University School of Law, USA), and Wolfgang Wessels (University of Cologne, Germany).

Fountainhead of Federalism offers a new translation of Heinrich Bullinger's presentation of his understanding of the covenant. Charles McCoy also discusses Bullinger's work as it relates to the federal tradition.

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