The principal aim of this book is to revisit the basic theme of “unity and diversity” that remains at the heart of research into federalism and federation. It is time to take another look at its contemporary relevance to ascertain how far the bifocal relationship between unity and diversity has evolved over the years and has been translated into changing conceptual lenses, practical reform proposals and in some cases new institutional practices.

In Diversity and Unity in Federal Countries, leading scholars and practitioners analyse the current political, socio-economic, spatial, and cultural diversity in the countries under consideration before delving into the role that social, historical, and political factors have had in shaping the balance of diversity and unity. The authors assess the value placed on diversity by examining whether present institutional arrangements and public policies restrict or enhance diversity and address the future challenges of balancing diversity and unity in an increasingly populated and mobile world.

In Diversity and Unity in Federal Countries, leading scholars and practitioners analyse the current political, socio-economic, spatial, and cultural diversity in the countries under consideration before delving into the role that social, historical, and political factors have had in shaping the balance of diversity and unity. The authors assess the value placed on diversity by examining whether present institutional arrangements and public policies restrict or enhance diversity and address the future challenges of balancing diversity and unity in an increasingly populated and mobile world.

These lively, timely, and accessible dialogues on federal systems provide the reader with highlights of each topic, serving as an entry point to the corresponding book, which offers a more in depth, comprehensive exploration of the theme. Whether you are a student or teacher of federalism, working in the field of federalism, or simply interested in the theme, these booklets are an insightful and informative analysis of the topic at hand in each of the featured countries. Booklet 7 examines the balance of diversity and unity in the following federal or federal-type countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Nigeria, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States of America. Contributors include Nicholas Aroney (University of Queensland, Australia), Balveer Arora (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India), Petra Bendel (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany), Irina Busygina (Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia), César Colino (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain), Frank Delmartino (Institute of International and European Policy, Belgium), Hugues Dumont (Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis, Belgium), Marcus Faro de Castro (Brasília University, Brazil), Assefa Fiseha (Ethiopian Civil Service College, Ethiopia), Thomas Fleiner (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Alain-G. Gagnon (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada), Mohammed Habib (Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia), Andreas Heinemann-Grüder (University of Bonn, Germany), Maya Hertig (University of Geneva, Switzerland), John Kincaid (Lafayette College, USA), Gilberto Marcos Antonio Rodrigues (Catholic University of Santos, Brazil), Luis Moreno (Spanish National Research Council, Spain), Richard Simeon (University of Toronto, Canada), Roland Sturm (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany), Rotimi T. Suberu (Bennington College, USA), and Sébastien Van Drooghenbroeck (Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis, Belgium).

What determines the capacity of countries to design, approve and implement effective public policies? To address this question, this book builds on the results of case studies of political institutions, policymaking processes, and policy outcomes in eight Latin American countries. The result is a volume that benefits from both micro detail on the intricacies of policymaking in individual countries and a broad cross-country interdisciplinary analysis of policymaking processes in the region.

A new examination of contemporary federalism and federation, which delivers a detailed theoretical study underpinned by fresh case studies. It is grounded in a clear distinction between 'federations', particular kinds of states, and 'federalism', the thinking that drives and promotes them. It also details the origins, formation, evolution and operations of federal political interests, through an authoritative series of chapters that: analyze the conceptual bases of federalism and federation through the evolution of the intellectual debate on federalism; the American Federal experience; the origins of federal states; and the relationship between state-building and national integration explore comparative federalism and federation by looking at five main pathways into comparative analysis with empirical studies on the US, Canada, Australia, India, Malaysia, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the EU explore the pathology of federations, looking at failures and successes, the impact of globalization. The final chapter also presents a definitive assessment of federal theory. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers of federalism, devolution, comparative politics and government.