Dynamic Perspectives on the Evolution, Working and Consequences of Federal and Decentralized Political Systems

Abstract

Federal and decentralized systems vary across time and place, evolving in response to different pressures and opportunities from inside and outside. Not in vain, scholars acknowledge the plurality and diversity of models. This panel examines the evolution, working and consequences of various models using both small-n and large-n comparative case study approaches, focusing on two specific sets of issues: the impact of policy devolution and asymmetry. Donna Wood, examining the devolution of public employment services in Canada, illustrates how the new multi-level character of these services influences the impact of state and non-state actors and considers the political factors which have given rise to these transformations. Iris Reus examines a similar question in the context of the Federalism Reform of 2006 in Germany: How did the reform affect the policy-making in the German Länder? Focusing on four policies, she develops and tests a theoretical model explaining in which way the Länder took up their new policy competences. The analysis of asymmetric decentralization as an accommodation strategy towards territorially concentrated minorities builds on a significant but inconclusive body of scholarship. However, Stefan Wolff adds an important element to this analysis by focusing on the extent to which the combined implementation of autonomy and specific electoral systems increase the moderating impact of asymmetry. Using QCA, Angustias Hombrado investigates a closely related aspect of asymmetry, namely how asymmetric arrangements affect the demands of relatively disadvantaged regions. Finally, Leonce Röth also discusses the dynamic implications of asymmetric systems, applying sequential analysis to the question of which paths lead to rising territorial tensions and which to moderation.

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