New Developments in Federalism and Regionalism

The parallel processes of supranational integration, state decentralisation and regionalisation have spurred renewed academic interest in the field of territorial politics. Many debates on the nature of European democratic governance, changing relations between territorial political levels, the distinctive space of regions and new forms and mechanisms of multi-level policy-making have evolved. Territorial rescaling has been perceived as both a challenge and an opportunity by political institutions and by political actors. Major constitutional reform processes have taken place, involving the demands of sub-state entities for both autonomy and integration in statewide and supranational processes. There is also a growing academic and political interest in the potential of territorial solutions to accommodate the demands of ethnic minorities and other collective groups in conflict. The section is intended to take stock of these new developments in federalism and regionalism. The section seeks to bring together empirical and theoretical research from various disciplines and approaches dealing with these issues. The ECPR Standing Group on Federalism and Regionalism invites papers on any subjects relating to new developments in federalism and regionalism, including multi-level governance, regional innovation, territorial representation, conflict resolution, minority rights, ethnicity and collective identities.