Description
Book SynopsisThe global financial crisis had a dramatic short-term effect on federal relations and, as the twelve case studies in this illuminating book show, set in place a new set of socio-political factors that are shaping the longer-run process of institutional change in federal systems.
The Future of Federalism illustrates how an understanding of these complex dynamics is crucial to the development of policies needed for effective and sustainable federal governance in the 21st century. The book finds that growing fiscal pressures are interacting with domestic political variables to produce country specific federal dynamics.
Arguably the first detailed study of the medium term impact of the financial crisis and its aftermath on federal governance, this volume highlights how growing budget pressures are contributing to increased centralisation in many federations, while in others national governments are devolving power to appease regional grievances and preserve the federal union. Contributions from leading federalism and public finance scholars test recent theoretical explanations of change in federal systems against the experiences of a diverse cross-section of federal jurisdictions. The case studies include both established federations and 'federalizing' jurisdictions, such as the UK and China, and highlights the complex dynamics which shape the evolution of federal governance
Comprehensive and interdisciplinary, this timely book will appeal to students and scholars - from political science, economics and law - studying federalism, governance studies and comparative political economy. It is essential reading for public officials and policy makers interested in intergovernmental relations, public finance and budgeting and tax policy.
Contributors include: J.R. Afonso, D.M. Brown, C. Colino, T.J. Conlan, L. de Mello, E. del Pino, R. Eccleston, R. Hortle, R. Jha, R. Krever, S. Lee, R. Mabugu, E. Massetti, P. Mellor, J. Schnellenbach, N. Soguel, C. Wong
Trade Review'Eccleston and Krever have produced a masterful edited volume on the impact of the world-wide financial crisis on twelve federations or near-federations. The book theoretically informs scholars of democracy, institutions, and, of course, federalism on how fiscal pressures contributed to shaping governance in tough times. The cases are informative and focused. It is a major contribution to our understanding of federalism under duress and could not be more timely.' --Carol S. Weissert, Florida State University, US
'This book discusses how twelve decentralized countries - some federal, some not - coped with the recent economic crisis. These structured comparative case studies show that the different combinations of rigid and flexible ''federal'' features found in each country shaped its reaction to changing economic circumstances, both reinforcing the importance of understanding institutional dynamics in analyzing decentralized systems and showing that ''federalism'' (broadly defined) need not be an obstacle to change but may sometimes be the best way a diverse country can accommodate change.' --Richard M. Bird, University of Toronto, Canada
Table of ContentsContents: Introduction: The Evolution of Intergovernmental Financial Relations in the 21st Century Richard Eccleston, Rob Hortle and Richard Krever PART I 1. Fiscal Federalism in the 21st Century Richard Eccleston, Richard Krever and Helen Smith PART II 2. Beyond the Financial Crisis: The Future of Fiscal Federalism in the United States Paul L. Posner and Timothy J. Conlan 3. The Financial Crisis and the Future of Federalism in Canada Douglas M. Brown 4. The Future of the Australian Federation: Intergovernmental Financial Relations Amid Growing Fiscal Pressures Richard Eccleston and Richard Krever 5. The Gathering Storm: Federalization and Constitutional Change in the United Kingdom Simon Lee PART III 6. German Federalism at the Crossroads: Renegotiating the Allocation of Competencies in a New Financial Environment Jan Schnellenbach 7. The Future of Swiss Federalism: The Challenge of Fiscal Stabilization Policy in the Absence of Coordination Nils Soguel 8. The Financial and Political Crisis of Spanish Federalism: Transformation or Erosion? César Colino and Eloísa Del Pino 9. Italian Federalism in the Balance – Suspended Between European Integration and Domestic Devolution Emanuele Massetti PART IV 10. The Financial Crisis and the Challenge of Fiscal Federalism in China: The 2008 Stimulus and the Limits of China’s Intergovernmental System Christine Wong 11. Indian Federalism Beyond the Financial Crisis Raghbendra Jha 12. The Global Crisis and Brazilian Federalism: Effects and Perspectives José Roberto Afonso and Luiz De Mello 13. The Impact of the Financial Crisis on Intergovernmental Financial Relationsin South Africa Ramos Mabugu PART V 14. Intergovernmental Financial Relations in an Age of Austerity: Implications for the Future of Federalism Richard Eccleston, Richard Krever and Peter Mellor Index
