Francesco Palermo, Ph.D (1998), University of Innsbruck, is the Head of the Institute for Studies on Federalism and Regionalism at the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen (EURAC) and Professor of Comparative Public Law at University of Verona. He has over 200 publications in several languages, including 10 monographs, particularly in comparative, Italian and European constitutional law, minority rights, cross-border cooperation, federalism and regionalism.Elisabeth Alber, is Senior Researcher and Program Officer (EURAC Federal Scholar in Residence Program) at the Institute for Studies on Federalism and Regionalism at the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen (EURAC). Her research and publications mainly focus on comparative federalism and regionalism, participatory and deliberative democracy in compound states, autonomies and minority rights.

• Introduction: The Idea and the Aim of this Book Elisabeth Alber and Francesco Palermo;Part I: Federalism, Democracy and Governance1. Multilevel Governance and the Reconfiguration of Political Space:Theoretical Considerations from a Multinational Perspective Alain-G. Gagnon;2. The Interdependence of Federalism and Democracy in Australia Cheryl Saunders;3. Political Identity and American Federalism G. Alan Tarr;4. Policy Coercion and Administrative Cooperation in American Federalism John Kincaid;Part II: Participation Mechanisms and ProceduresPart II A: Asymmetries and Identities5. ‘Fragile Federations’ and the Dynamics of Devolution Nico Steytler and Jaap de Visser;6. The Unsettled Settlement: Scottish Independence or United Kingdom Devolution? Michael Burgess;7. Constitutional Semantics and Autonomy within Indian Federalism Ajay Kumar Singh;8. Genesis of Federalism, Regional Development, and Regional Policy of Post–Soviet Russia Viacheslav E. Seliverstov;Part II B: Intergovernmental Relations9. Can We Talk About Federalism and Federalization Without Co-Governance? ‘Participation’ of the Autonomous Communities in Spanish Central Government Decision-Making Mercè Corretja Torrens and Mireia Grau Creus;10. Intergovernmental Relations in Australia: New Modes, Old Realities Alan Fenna and John Phillimore;11. Intergovernmental Decision-Making in Financial Affairs in Germany: Institutions, Formal and Informal Rules, and Peculiarities Gisela Färber;12. Fiscal Federalism and Federal Decisions: The Case of Argentina and Its Evolution in the Last Two Decades Miguel Angel Asensio;Part III: Policy Areas Compared13. Multilevel Governance of Immigration: An Emerging Trend for Europe to Follow? Karl Kössler;14. Challenging Institutional Models: The Case of Environmental Protection and Management Mariachiara Alberton and Francesco Palermo;15. ‘South Africa Inc.’: The Rise of the Developmental State and the Corporatization of Intergovernmental Relations Derek Powell and Phindile Ntliziywana;16. Benchmarking as a New Mode of Coordination in Federal Systems Alan Fenna and Felix Knüpling;17. Federalism as Decision-Making: Security Structures, Procedures and Policies Christian Leuprecht, Mario Kölling and Todd Hataley;18. Regionalization in Central and Eastern Europe: Limits and Perspectives of an Externally Driven Process Sara Parolari and Martina Trettel;19. Varieties of Decentralization, Institutional Complementarities, and Economic Growth: Evidence in OECD Countries Andrea Filippetti and Agnese Sacchi;Part IV: Institutional Innovation and Participatory Democracy20. Participatory Initiatives and New Instruments of Direct Democracy in Austrian FederalismPeter Bußjäger;21. Theoretical Framework and Constitutional Implications: Participatory Democracy as Decision-Making in Multilayered Italy Matteo Nicolini;22. Framing Subnational ‘Institutional Innovation’ and ‘Participatory Democracy’ in Italy: some Findings on Current Structures, Procedures, and Dynamics Elisabeth Alber and Alice Valdesalici;23. Subnational Institutional Innovation and Participatory Democracy: the Case of Switzerland Nicolas Schmitt;Part V: Federalism: From Theory to Governance 24. Regulating Pluralism: Federalism as Decision-Making and New Challenges for Federal StudiesFrancesco Palermo;Index.