Intergovernmental Relations In Federal Systems

"Published for: Forum of Federations/Forum des faedaerations International Association of Centers for Federal Studies (IACFS)."

This booklet is the eighth in a series created to provide accessible and comparative information on federal systems. The corresponding book series offers a comprehensive exploration of selected themes while the booklets provide the reader with highlights of each topic, serving as an entry point to the books. The first booklet featured constitutional origins, structure, and change; the second explored the distribution of powers and responsibilities; the third examined legislative, executive, and judicial governance; the fourth considered fiscal federalism; the fifth focused on foreign relations; and the sixth delved into local government and metropolitan regions; and the seventh analyzed diversity and unity. This eighth booklet in the series features intergovernmental relations in 13 federal systems: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, European Union, Germany, India, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.

At present there are 24 federations in the world composing a variety of forms and variations, this text provides an analysis of the design and operation of a sample of federations, including the U.S., Australia, Germany, India and Spain.

This edited volume examines the form and operation of intergovernmental relations in divided societies. Using eight country case studies, it explores the interplay between politicised ethno-cultural diversity and intergovernmental relations (IGR) in countries where the distinctive identity of at least one subnational unit is acknowledged in a form of territorial autonomy. The book examines whether and how the distinctive identity of particular subnational units and the attending competing constitutional visions shape the dynamics of IGR. The goal here is not simply to determine whether intergovernmental interactions in such societies are less cordial and more conflictual than in other societies. Such interaction in any society could be strained as a result of disagreement over specific policy objectives. The question is whether the distinctive identity of particular subnational units and the attending competing constitutional visions themselves have been a primary source of intergovernmental tension. The book also examines the impact of identity politics on institutions and instruments of IGR, determining whether the ethno-cultural divide and the tension it creates have the tendency to affect the type of institutions and instruments employed in IGR. It is also about the relevance and effectiveness of institutions and instruments of IGR in acknowledging and accommodating the distinctive identities and specific demands of subnational units, thereby contributing to the peaceful management of divided societies.

The field of intergovernmental relations has changed substantially over the past five decades. It maintains a critical and evolving role in the US federal system as well as in public policy and administration. Building upon the legacy of Deil S.Wright’s scholarship, this collection of essays by distinguished scholars, emerging thought leaders, and experienced practitioners chronicles and analyzes some of the tensions and pressures that have contributed to the current state of intergovernmental relations and management. Although rarely commanding media attention by name, intergovernmental relations is being elevated in the public discourse through policy issues dominating the headlines. Many of these intergovernmental issues are addressed in this book, including health insurance exchanges under the now-threatened Affordable Care Act, and the roles of the federal, state, and local governments in food safety, energy, and climate change.Contributors interpret and assess the impacts of these and other issues on the future directions of intergovernmental relations and management. This book will serve as an ideal text for courses on intergovernmental relations and federalism, and will be of interest to government practitioners and civic and nonprofit organization leaders involved in public policy and management.

In 2005 a Harvard conference honoured Paul Weiler, originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, who drafted the Notwithstanding Clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and created the Canada Program at Harvard University. Weiler's Notwithstanding Clause saved the floundering constitutional talks that eventually rebuilt Canada upon the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In Part One of this book, Weiler lucidly describes his very Canadian legal philosophy, spelling out his original intent in drafting the clause. Joining Harvard in 1979, he set up a Canada Program that has provided the image of Canada held by many future leaders. He reenergized the languishing Mackenzie King Endowment for Canadian Studies and soon Mackenzie King visiting professors were teaching everything from Canadian economics to Canadian aboriginal history. After Weiler's address at the 2005 conference, past Mackenzie King professors spoke on Canada; the second part of this book contains their essays. Many discuss constitutional law or politics but discussions range from economic nationalism to water rights. Readers interested in what Harvard students learn about Canada will find these essays intriguing. Weiler's Canada Program is expansively multidisciplinary and this book is a respectful tribute to both Weiler and to Canada. Contributors include Thomas S. Axworthy (Queen's University), Albert Breton, Alan Cairns, John C. Courtney, Angela Fraschini, John F. Helliwell, Haifang Huang, Richard Johnston, Elena Kagan (Dean of Harvard Law School), Randall Morck (University of Alberta), Joy Parr, Anthony Scott, Laurier Turgeon, and Paul Weiler.

This book argues that governments' choices in favour or against strong intergovernmental institutions are not primarily driven by considerations of efficiency but by internal political dynamics within their own boundaries. It applies the argument to Canada, Switzerland, the United States, and finally to the European Union.