Comparing federal systems / Ronald L. Watts.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Watts, Ronald L. (Ronald Lampman)

Contributor:

Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Institute of Intergovernmental Relations.

Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). School of Policy Studies.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Federal government.

Comparative government.

Physical Description:

xiv, 138 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Kingston, Ont. ; Ithaca : Published for the School of Policy Studies, Queen's University by McGill-Queen's University Press, [1999]

Summary:

There is much that can be learned by Canadians from the experience of federations elsewhere. At present there are twenty-four federations in the world -- representing over forty per cent of the world's population -- comprising a variety of forms and variations. In this updated second edition Ronald Watts provides a clear analysis of the design and operation of a sample of federations chosen for their relevance to Canadian issues.

Countries studied include the United States, Switzerland, Australia, Austria, and Germany as examples of developed industrial societies; India and Malaysia as examples of multilingual and multicultural federations; Belgium and Spain as examples of emerging federal systems that illustrate bicommunal and asymmetrical approaches; and Czechoslovakia and Pakistan as examples of bicommunal federations that have failed. Watts compares the interaction of social diversity and political institutions, distribution of powers and finances, processes contributing to flexibility or rigidity in adjustment, extent of internal symmetry or asymmetry, degree of centralization and decentralization, character of representation in federal institutions, role of constitutions and courts, provisions for constitutional rights and secession, and pathology in federations.

Contents:

1.1 The Relevance of Comparisons 1

1.2 A Brief History of Federalism 2

1.3 The Relevance of Federalism in the 1990s 4

1.4 Definition of Terms and Principles of Federalism 6

1.5 Federal Societies, Constitutions and Governments 14

1.6 Issues in the Design and Operation of Federations 17

1.7 Criteria for the Selection of Federations Considered in this Study 18

2. Overview of the Federations Compared in this Study 21

2.1 Established Federations in Developed Countries 21

United States of America (1789) 21

Switzerland (1848) 22

Canada (1867) 23

Australia (1901) 24

Austria (1920) 25

Germany (1949) 26

2.2 Selected Multilingual Federations in Developing Countries 27

India (1950) 27

Malaysia (1963) 28

2.3 Recently Emerged and Emerging Federations 29

Belgium (1993) 29

Spain (1978) 30

2.4 Bicommunal Federations That Have Separated 31

Czechoslovakia (1920-1992) 31

Pakistan (1947-1971) 32

3. The Distribution of Powers in Federations 35

3.1 The Issue of Balancing Unity and Diversity 35

3.2 Relationship between Distributions of Legislative and Executive Powers 36

3.3 Variations in the Form of the Distribution of Legislative Authority 37

Exclusive Legislative Powers 37

Concurrent Legislative Powers 38

Residual Powers 39

3.4 The Scope of Legislative Powers Allocated 40

3.5 Distribution of Administrative Responsibilities 41

4. The Distribution of Finances 43

4.1 Importance of the Allocation of Financial Resources 43

4.2 The Distribution of Revenue Powers 43

4.3 The Allocation of Expenditure Powers 44

4.4 The Issue of Vertical and Horizontal Imbalances 45

4.5 The Role of Financial Transfers 47

4.6 Conditional or Unconditional Transfers 48

4.7 Equalization Transfers 50

4.8 Processes and Institutions for Adjusting Financial Arrangements 53

5. Processes for Flexibility and Adjustment in Federations 57

5.1 Importance of Processes for Intergovernmental Collaboration 57

5.2 Forms and Extent of Intergovernmental Relations 57

5.3 Other Devices for Flexibility and Adjustment in the Distribution of Powers 59

5.4 Cooperative versus Competitive Federalism 60

5.5 Implications for the Democratic Character of Federations 61

6. Symmetry and Asymmetry in Federations 63

6.1 Political and Constitutional Asymmetry Distinguished 63

6.2 Examples of Political Asymmetry 63

6.3 Examples of Constitutional Asymmetry 66

7. Multilevel Federal Systems 69

7.1 The Impact of Membership in Supra-federation Federal Organizations 69

7.2 The Place of Local Governments 70

8. Degrees of Decentralization and Non-Centralization in Federations 71

8.1 Conceptual Issues in Measuring Decentralization and Relative Autonomy 71

Legislative Decentralization 72

Administrative Decentralization 73

Financial Decentralization 73

Decentralization to Non-governmental Agencies 74

Constitutional Limitations 75

The Character of Federal Decision Making 75

8.2 A Comparative Assessment in Relation to Canada 75

8.3 Minimum Federal Powers 80

9. The Representative Institutions of Federal Governments 83

9.1 The Importance of Shared Federal Institutions as a Focus for Unity 83

9.2 Institutions Based on the Separation of Powers or Parliamentary Principles 84

9.3 The Significance of These Forms for the Representativeness and Effectiveness of Federal Governments 85

9.4 The Impact of Electoral Systems and Political Parties 90

9.5 The Role of Federal Second Chambers 92

Bicameralism within Federations 92

Selection of Members 92

Basis of Regional Representation 95

Powers of Second Chambers Relative to the First Chamber 96

10. Constitutional Supremacy in Federations 99

10.1 The Constitution as Supreme Law 99

10.2 Processes for Constitutional Adjudication and Judicial Review 99

10.3 Supreme Courts and Constitutional Courts 100

10.4 Constitutional Amendment Procedures 101

10.5 The Role of Constitutional Bills of Rights 104

10.6 Provisions for Formal Secession 107

11. The Pathology of Federations 109

11.1 Significance of the Pathology of Federations 109

11.2 Sources of Stress 110

The Distribution and Character of Internal Social Divisions 110

The Role of the Institutions and Structures of Federations 110

Strategies Adopted to Combat Disintegration 112

Polarizing Political Processes 112

11.3 The Special Problem of Bicommunal Federations 113

11.4 Processes and Consequences of Disintegration 114

12.1 Canada in Comparative Perspective 117

12.2 Implications for the Future Development of the Canadian Federation 120

Appendix a The Distribution of Powers and Functions in Federations: A Comparative Overview 125.

Notes:

"Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, Queen's University" --Cover.

Previously published under title: Comparing federal systems in the 1990s

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0889118353

OCLC:

45756399