Comparative federalism is an important topic, with scholarly work comparing the US & EU 'proliferating rapidly'. This volume seeks to build on & contribute to this literature, by developing a systematic comparison of the institutions, policies & developmental patterns of the European Union & the United States.

Comparative federalism is an important topic, with scholarly work comparing the US & EU 'proliferating rapidly'. This volume seeks to build on & contribute to this literature, by developing a systematic comparison of the institutions, policies & developmental patterns of the European Union & the United States.

How are foreign relations constitutionally structured in federal unions? How does the foreign affairs constitution of the European Union - itself a federal union in all but name - compare to that of other federal unions? Foreign Relations Federalism: The EU in Comparative Perspective addresses these questions. It offers a comparative analysis of the constitutional framework in which foreign relations are conducted in four federal unions: the United States, Canada, Belgium, and the European Union. The EU takes up a special position in the book. Over a decade since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, the EU's foreign affairs constitution continues to evolve. New institutional practices emerge and cases continue to be brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union. The pace of constitutional change is fast, and there is a sustained need for critical and constructive legal analysis of that change. By comparing the constitutional experience of the EU to that of other federal unions, Foreign Relations Federalism contributes to fulfilling this need. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the EU's constitutional development, the role of the EU in foreign affairs, and the constitutional treatment of foreign relations in federal unions other than the EU.

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.

The American Federal System has changed dramatically during the last decade. Starting with Ronald Reagan's «New Federalism» the balance between the states and the federation has become an important topic in the discussion of politicians and scholars. As a result in the 1990s phenomena like the «resurgence of the states», the shift in the system of grants-in-aid, the evolving «new judical federalism» and the complexity of «new institutions of federalism» dominate the domestic agenda in the U.S. The crucial question is whether the states still function as «laboratories of democracy» under the impact of fiscal crisis and the existing institutional and constitutional framework. The American experience is examined in comparative perspective with special emphasis upon German federalism and the dual challenges of unification and European integration.

The decline of statism as the world's dominant ideology has ignited a fierce debate over the evolving shape and power of federalism in global society. The popular demand for devolution has shifted the locus of power from national government to smaller regional units and heralded the reconceptualization of international law away from the idea of sovereignty, toward one of jurisdiction. This timely set of essays studies the impact wrought by these centrifugal forces across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, and analyzes the latest movements for constitutional change, self-determination, and separation. Comparative Federalism in the Devolution Era offers political scientists and legal scholars a new perspective on the diverse nature and exercise of postmodern federalism, and the continuing struggle between differing views of the national-local relationship.