Federalism And Regionalism In Western Europe

Federalism and Regionalism in Western Europe seeks to clarify the relevance, problems and consequences of operating federal systems of government in Western Europe. The book analyzes and explains varieties in the allocation of resources, the decision-making process and problem-solving capacity of West-European federal and regional states

This text traces the historical origins of regionalism, showing that theoretical politics has always been a feature of the West-European state. The book then analyzes the post-war model of territorial management in the Keynesian welfare state and shows how the current trends are re-shaping the meaning of political space and encouraging new forms of political mobilization and action.

Territory, Democracy and Justice brings together experts from six countries to ask what territorial decentralization does and what it means for democracy, policymaking and the welfare state. Integrated and international in a fragmented field, the chapters identify the importance and consequences of territorial decentralization. The authors analyze the successes, the generalizable ideas, and the international lessons in the study of comparative territorial politics as well as new directions for research.

Argues that there is an important conceptual distinction between federalism and federation and illustrates some of the inadequacies of contemporary federal theory.

This text traces the historical origins of regionalism, showing that theoretical politics has always been a feature of the West-European state. The book then analyzes the post-war model of territorial management in the Keynesian welfare state.

The conceptual uncertainty when dealing with processes of integration and disintegration in Europe is striking because traditional notions of the nation-state, constitutionalism, sovereignty, and federalism do not account for emerging realities in either Western or Eastern Europe. This volume explores the complex inter-relationship between federal arrangements and their effects on integrating multi-ethnic societies in Europe, and takes stock of current debates on the effects of federalism on integration and disintegration in Eastern and Western Europe. For the first time federalism is addressed in a pan-European context and an attempt is made to look for remedies to overcome nationalism in both East and West within a federalist institutional framework.

Examining the effects of economic and political restructuring on regions in Europe and North America, the main themes here are: international economic restructuring; political realignments questions of territorial identity; and policy choices and policy conflicts in regional development.