Dynamic Federalism

This book offers a new theory of federalism.

The work critically discusses traditional federal theories and builds on theories that focus on the dynamics of federalism. It offers a definition of federalism and federal organizations that encompasses both new and old types of multi-tiered system. Unlike traditional federal theory, it is well-suited to research both multinational and mononational systems. It also takes into account the complexity of these systems, with bodies of governance at the local, regional, national, and supranational level. The book is divided into three parts: the first part outlines the contours of dynamic federalism, based on a critical overview of traditional federal theory; the second part develops comprehensive indexes to measure autonomy and cohesion of multi-tiered systems; and the third part focuses on the dynamics of federal organizations, with a special focus on institutional hubs for change.

Dynamic Federalism will be an essential resource for legal, social, economic, and political scholars interested in federalism, regionalism, and de/centralization.

Patricia Popelier is full professor at the law faculty of the University of Antwerp, director of the research group of government and law and copromoter of the interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence GOVTRUST. She is also senior research fellow at the University of Kent, Centre for Federal Studies. She is the vice president of the International Association of Legislation (IAL) and president of the Flemish Interuniversity Center of Legislation (ICW), convenor of the standing research group on subnational constitutions in federal and quasi-federal systems of the International Association of Constitutional Law, and member of the scientific committee of EURAC – Institute for Comparative Federalism (Bolzano); of the scientific committee of the Sofia Legal Science Network (SLSN); and of the scientific committee of the Ossevatorio AIR (Rome).