Research Agenda for Federalism Studies

Edited by John Kincaid, Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service and Director, Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government, Lafayette College, US

'In 16 crisp, highly-readable chapters by recognized federalism scholars, this collection meets two important objectives. It synthesizes state-of-the-art research on a broad range of aspects related to federal studies, and identifies areas where further theoretical, comparative and empirical research is needed. In so doing it provides a helpful road-map on where federal studies stand, and an innovative compass on where they should be heading.'--Johanne Poirier, McGill University Faculty of Law, Canada'A great collection arriving when global politics is navigating unknown waters. In such times, open-minded reflection and sure-footed knowledge of every federal experience should take priority over scholasticism and methodological perfectionism. Commendably, most chapters stay clear of the practice of cross-referencing the like-minded. Instead, scholars across various disciplines propose different research agendas bringing dynamism, relevance and nuance to what is likely to be a solution to the challenges awaiting us.'--Jan Erk, University of Pretoria, South Africa'A Research Agenda for Federalism Studies is a treasure-trove of solid federalism scholarship as well as a compilation of questions as yet unanswered. The contributors provide a first rate research agenda for scholars--especially new scholars--seeking to make a difference in this subfield.'--Carol S. Weissert, Florida State University, US

• Contents:Introduction to A Research Agenda for Federalism Studies 1John Kincaid1 Federalism and political theory: a case of mutual neglect? 15Thomas O. Hueglin2 Federalism theory: the boundary problem, robustness and dynamics 27Jenna Bednar3 Federalism and constitutionalism: challenges presented by dominantconceptions of the unitary state 39Cheryl Saunders4 Subnational constitutions: a research agenda 50John Dinan5 Federalism and courts: research avenues 61Nicholas Aroney6 What hope for comparative federalism? 76Alan Fenna7 The peregrinations of fiscal federalism: past, present and future of aresearch agenda 93Alice Valdesalici8 De/centralization 106Paolo Dardanelli9 The gender-and-federalism research field: past, present and future 117Jill Vickers10 Federalism and diversity: a new research agenda 129Alain-G. Gagnon and Arjun Tremblay11 Federalism and nationalism 140André Lecours12 Federalism as a tool of conflict resolution 151Soeren Keil13 Federalism and the politics of shared rule 162Sean Mueller14 Non-centralism in Africa: in search of the federal idea 175Nico Steytler15 Federalism in Asia: beyond the diversity problematic 187Harihar Bhattacharyya16 Federalism and the European Union: asymmetry, policies and somerecurring federal dilemmas 198Francesco PalermoIndex 209