Federalism
Federalism

Author: Cheryl Saunders

Publisher: HSRC Press

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 9780796916990

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Federalism: The Australian Experience offers readers a first-hand insight into one of the oldest federations in the world by an Australian expert, Prof Cheryl Saunders. The Australian Constitution is approaching its centenary and it is expected that students of political science, constitutional law, fiscal federalism and practitioners will in the years to come show a growing interest in how the constitution and practice are adapting to the demands of the 21st century. From a South African point of view, studies on Australian federalism have been somewhat neglected over the years. This is unfortunate and we hope that this publication will generate more interest in the subject. Some of the issues that could be of interest to South African researchers are for instance the treatment of indigenous people and efforts to accommodate their demands for land; the operation of the Commonwealth Grants Commission and its impact on policy, and the functioning of intergovernmental relations between the federal and state governments and also between state and local governments and between state governments themselves.

Comparative Federalism and Intergovernmental Agreements
Comparative Federalism and Intergovernmental Agreements

Author: Jeffrey Parker

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-27

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1317656466

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Intergovernmental agreements are an important instrument in federal systems, establishing new social programs, regulating agricultural practices, and even changing constitutions. Despite their importance, there have only been limited attempts to understand agreements in a comparative context or to provide a theoretical framework for their study. This book addresses both of these deficiencies by comparing the use of agreements in six federations (Australia, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland and the United States) and considering why certain federations form more agreements than others. Parker analyzes the data using an institutional framework that considers the effects of seven variables, including the constitutional division of powers, the system of intergovernmental transfers, the size of the welfare state and the nature of governing institutions. In addition, the study provides the first ever comparative database of national intergovernmental agreements — a new resource for future research. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Political Science, Federalism, Government, Political Institutions, Political Theory and Comparative Politics.

Rethinking Federalism
Rethinking Federalism

Author: Karen Knop

Publisher: UBC Press

Published: 2011-11-01

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 0774842687

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Federalism is at once a set of institutions -- the division of public authority between two or more constitutionally defined orders of government -- and a set of ideas which underpin such institutions. As an idea, federalism points us to issues such as shared and divided sovereignty, multiple loyalties and identities, and governance through multi-level institutions. Seen in this more complex way, federalism is deeply relevant to a wide range of issues facing contemporary societies. Global forces -- economic and social -- are forcing a rethinking of the role of the central state, with power and authority diffusing both downwards to local and state institutions and upwards to supranational bodies. Economic restructuring is altering relationships within countries, as well as the relationships of countries with each other. At a societal level, the recent growth of ethnic and regional nationalisms -- most dramatically in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, but also in many other countries in western Europe and North America -- is forcing a rethinking of the relationship between state and nation, and of the meaning and content of 'citizenship.' Rethinking Federalism explores the power and relevance of federalism in the contemporary world, and provides a wide-ranging assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, and potential in a variety of contexts. Interdisciplinary in its approach, it brings together leading scholars from law, economics, sociology, and political science, many of whom draw on their own extensive involvement in the public policy process. Among the contributors, each writing with the authority of experience, are Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa and Jacques Pelkmans on the European Union, Paul Chartrand on Aboriginal rights, Samuel Beer on North American federalism, Alan Cairns on identity, and Vsevolod Vasiliev on citizenship after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The themes refracted through these different disciplines and political perspectives include nationalism, minority protection, representation, and economic integration. The message throughout this volume is that federalism is not enough -- rights protection and representation are also of fundamental importance in designing multi-level governments.

Federalism in Canada and Australia
Federalism in Canada and Australia

Author: W.H. Heick

Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press

Published: 2010-10-30

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 1554587042

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This book is a comparison of the history and politics of two sister societies, comparing Canada with Australia, rather than, as is traditional, with the United Kingdom or the United States. It is representative of a particular interest in promoting more contact and exchange among Canadian and Australian scholars who were investigating various features of the two societies. Because some of them were individually involved in aspects of federalist studies, an examination of the early evolution of federalism in what once were the two sister dominions seemed quite an appropriate area in which to begin comparisons. The book discusses Canadian federalism from about 1864 to 1880 and Australian federalism from about 1897 to 1914. It examines the background and changes wrought on early Canadian federalism and early Australian federalism.