11: Centralisation and Decentralisation

Question 1

What are advantages of federalism?

Answer 1

• Autonomous levels of government and policy
• Written constitution (typically)
• Central government as independent arbitrator
• Inherently intertwined institutions promote cooperation
• More/better entries to politics (and representation)
• Less opaque decision-making (“laboratories of democracy”)

Question 2

What is federalism to Lijphart (1999)?

Answer 2

A guaranteed devision of power between central and regional governments.

“fundamental distribution of power between central and regional government…, not the devolution of powers from a single center or down a pyramid” (Elazar, 1997)

Question 3

What is Regionalism?

Answer 3

Regionalism is the political manifestation of the values,
attitudes, opinions, preferences, and behaviours, as well as the
interests, attachments, and identities associated with a region

Question 4

Why is regionalism politically relevant?

Answer 4

I Increasing prelevance
I Desire for more regional autonomy and democratisation
I Globalisation and neo-liberalism in divided countries
I Politicisation of minority nations and use of democratic
instruments
I Potential tension with centralist parties
I Important role
I Governmental alignment to create stability
I Addressing issues of regional representation
I Increase accountability and issue visibility
I Give voice to minorities, increase trust
I Party emergence can be because of mobilisation or alienation
I Overall, have become integral parts of politics

Question 5

How to explain regions and regionalism?

Answer 5

• Until 1960s: Regions considered part of ‘old (pre-modern) world’
• Since then, challenges to declining relevance (Rokkan 1980)
• Relevance fo [political] culture (Almond and Verba 1963;
  Lipset 1990)
• Explain variations in political life based on differences in
  national values
• Importance of culture is amplified when minorities have nation status
• Marxism - The market does not operate impartially across territory
• Institutionalism - Institutions can strengthen or weaken regional identity

Question 6

What are causes and consequences of regional inequalities?

Answer 6

• Differentiating levels of of economic growth
• Agglomeration effects
• National economic growth and social spending to combat regional differences

Question 7

What is a Unitary state?

Answer 7

I Sub-national units are subordinate to central government
I Little autonomy to component areas
I Decisions only with approval of central authority
I Central authority has exclusive sovereignty
I For example: Departments (FR), provinces (NL), counties
(SW), prefectures (JP)
I Regionalism or centre-periphery tensions grew in 1970s

Question 8

What is federalism?

Answer 8

• Drawing from Latin feudus (treaty or agreement)
  
  • Agreement between government parts
• Main principles of federalism:
  
  • Shared sovereignty between equal partners
  • Independence, autonomy, discretion
  • No subordination, but ancillary capacity
  • Possibly, cooperation and linkage between levels of government

Question 9

What are two distinct forms of federalism?

Answer 9

(cooperative federalism): Belgium and Germany
(dual federalism): USA

Question 10

Why federalism?

Answer 10

• National security
• Economic purpose
• Counter distrust of central authority
• Promote national unity in diverse settings

Question 11

What are disadvantages of a federal state?

Answer 11

• Local governments may lack money to finance actual policies
• Local officials are sometimes incompetent and corrupt
• Local decision-making can lead to duplication of services and
  poor coordination
• Instability and disintegration following decentralisation
• Inherent complexity

Question 12

What is Confederalism?

Answer 12

• Not a state; but – literally – union of states
• Association of and collaboration between sovereign states
• Delegate certain competences to confederal level
  
  • Limited central government with some core competences
  • No decisions without the states
• Most loose and decentralised form of state formation
• Often as foundation of intergovernmental organisations (e.g.
  UN, EU, NATO)
• For example: USA until 1789

Question 13

Is Devolution the same as confederalism?

Answer 13

NO! Not the same as confederalism
- Power and autonomy is distributed to lower levels
- NOT legal sovereignty
- For example: UK, Spain, capital districts in USA and Mexico

Question 14

What different state structures are there?

Answer 14

I More regional autonomy in federal(-like) systems
I Institutionalised cooperation between levels
I Constitutional protection through federal institutions
I Even in more unitary states, patterns of territorial
management and power-sharing arrangements
I How to define the political community?
I One national demos with minorities (e.g. Spain)
I Multiple self-governing demoi within federalism (e.g. Belgium)

Question 15

How is representation affected by vertical devision of power?

Answer 15

• Responsiveness depends on clarity of responsibility and (accurate) information
• Federalism increases number of policy-makers
  
  • Unitary system: Clear policy signal
  • Federal system: Multiple sources of policy information
• Lower public responsiveness in federal systems (Downs 1999)
• Effects on policy representation
  
  • Greater across all levels, lesser at each policy level