Dynamic Federali
Trade Review
"Popelier aims at laying the foundations for a new, dynamic theory of federalism, overcoming some key weaknesses of traditional federal theory, and testing such theory on a series of conditions: universality, specificity, and flexibility… the author’s endeavors in trying to overcome the theoretical weaknesses of traditional federal scholarship, doing so from a legal perspective, is certainly fascinating… the book also offers a peculiar opportunity for comparative constitutional law scholarship to reflect on the importance of method and the definition of concepts to advance research."
Lidia Bonifati, Diritti Comparati, 27 May 2021
"Dynamic Federalism is one of the rare books that attempt to develop a holistic theory. One that not only describes but also explains and predicts how federal structures come about, remain in place, contribute to stability or fuel fragmentation, and eventually dissolve. Written by a constitutional lawyer and drawing on the Belgian case to measure its various dimensions and indicators, there is much to be learned from several of the book’s core postulates both in the theoretical and in the empirical realms."
Sean Mueller (2021): Dynamic federalism: a new theory for cohesion and regional autonomy, Regional & Federal Studies, DOI: 10.1080/13597566.2021.1939691
`…the book is not only greatly informative, but thought-provoking and inspiring. It offers illuminating paths into the worlds of federalism—not all of them yet unknown, but superbly nuanced and analyzed.’
Anna Gamper University of Innsbruck, Austria; doi:10.1093/publius/pjab034
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I. Theoretical framework
Chapter 1. What is federalism? In search of building blocks for a new federal theory
Chapter 2. Dynamic Federalism: ‘Federalism as a Process’ Revisited
Part II. Measuring Cohesion and Autonomy
Chapter 3. Preliminary notes on the indicators: representation, and the Belgian case study
Chapter 4. Status
Chapter 5. Powers
Chapter 6. Fiscal arrangements
Part III. Measuring change
Chapter 7. Contours for a theory of change
Chapter 8. Institutional hubs for change
Conclusion: Findings and way forward
Appendix: Showcase – Belgium
