Arthur Benz, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Politics and German Government, Institute for Political Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany

• Contents1 Introduction: The intricacy of federal democracy2 Federalism and democracy: In principle complementary 3 Federal democracy: A complex system of government4 Varieties of federal democracy5 Societal diversity and political conflicts6 Fiscal federalism and democracy: The challenge ofdistributive justice7 From tensions to frictions: How federal democracy can fail8 Multiple linkages: Parliaments, parties and interest groups inintergovernmental negotiations9 Enabling citizens: Autonomy-preserving federalism10 Conclusion: Complex democracy and federal dynamics

‘In this magisterial work, Benz tackles one of the most vexed issues in political science, that of the relationship between federalism and democracy. He draws upon decades of research to make sense of this complexity, while imparting important lessons on how federalism can help to guard against democratic backsliding.’

Arthur Benz, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Politics and German Government, Institute for Political Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany

• Contents1 Introduction: The intricacy of federal democracy2 Federalism and democracy: In principle complementary 3 Federal democracy: A complex system of government4 Varieties of federal democracy5 Societal diversity and political conflicts6 Fiscal federalism and democracy: The challenge ofdistributive justice7 From tensions to frictions: How federal democracy can fail8 Multiple linkages: Parliaments, parties and interest groups inintergovernmental negotiations9 Enabling citizens: Autonomy-preserving federalism10 Conclusion: Complex democracy and federal dynamics

‘In this magisterial work, Benz tackles one of the most vexed issues in political science, that of the relationship between federalism and democracy. He draws upon decades of research to make sense of this complexity, while imparting important lessons on how federalism can help to guard against democratic backsliding.’

Arthur Benz, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Politics and German Government, Institute for Political Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany

• Contents1 Introduction: The intricacy of federal democracy2 Federalism and democracy: In principle complementary 3 Federal democracy: A complex system of government4 Varieties of federal democracy5 Societal diversity and political conflicts6 Fiscal federalism and democracy: The challenge ofdistributive justice7 From tensions to frictions: How federal democracy can fail8 Multiple linkages: Parliaments, parties and interest groups inintergovernmental negotiations9 Enabling citizens: Autonomy-preserving federalism10 Conclusion: Complex democracy and federal dynamics

‘In this magisterial work, Benz tackles one of the most vexed issues in political science, that of the relationship between federalism and democracy. He draws upon decades of research to make sense of this complexity, while imparting important lessons on how federalism can help to guard against democratic backsliding.’