Federalism and Regionalism in Western Europe seeks to clarify the relevance, problems and consequences of operating federal systems of government in Western Europe. The book analyzes and explains varieties in the allocation of resources, the decision-making process and problem-solving capacity of West-European federal and regional states
WILFRIED SWENDEN is Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Before he took up his post at Edinburgh, he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow of the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research associated with the University of Leuven, Belgium and a visiting Scholar at the Centre for European Studies at Harvard. He has published in the field of comparative federalism and regionalism.
Tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Comparative Federalism and Regionalism in Western Europe: A Conceptual Overview The Origins of Federalism and Regionalism in Western Europe The Centre and the Regions: The Constitutional Approach The Centre and the Regions: The Political Economy Approach The Centre, the Regions and the Party System Intergovernmental Relations and Public Policy The Centre, the Regions and Plurinationalism Notes Bibliography
'[T]his is a great work of synthesis, which offers us for the first time a comprehensive and detailed analysis of federalism in Europe and sets new and impressive standards in this sub-field of the literature. It is likely to remain the work of reference on European federalism for a long time to come. As such, it is without doubt essential reading for those interested in the federal and quasi-federal systems of today's Europe and it is also highly recommended to anyone with a general interest in federalism. Readers of this journal should warmly welcome its publication...This is definitely a book that deserves to be widely read and its author deserves our congratulations.' - Paolo Dardanelli, Regional and Federal Studies