Federalism and Asymmetry: Curse or Blessing?

Abstract

Are asymmetries, be they of legal or political nature, a curse or a blessing for federal and decentralized States? Empirical evidence suggests that they can be both. Given the disparities between the different parts of political systems in terms of wealth, demography and natural resources, scholars cannot but deal with such asymmetries and their policy implications. The differential treatment of the constituent units of a State is a useful tool to accommodating diversities of various kinds, on the one hand. On the other hand, it is a suitable test ground for policy innovation. Asymmetries unavoidably pose challenges to actors in politics, law and the economy, and they shape intergovernmental relations. Issues arising in the management of asymmetries in federal, decentralized unitary States include (perceived) threats to the integrity of the State or even the nation, the unequal distribution of human and financial resources, conflicts over the distribution of competences, as well as diverging policy preferences. The form of government is ever more relevant when, first, legally enshrining asymmetrical arrangements and when, second and most importantly, dealing with their implications for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies. A federal form of government accommodates territorial and societal diversities and allows for differentiated policy-making across the country. Thus, the questions of how asymmetries are enshrined, managed and dealt with and of how they affect policy-making, are tightly linked to the purpose of federalism and decentralization as such. This panel proposes to think outside the box by addressing questions linked to asymmetries from a political science and multidisciplinary angle and to compare different forms of government so as to properly grasp the purpose of and power relations in asymmetries in federal and decentralized political systems. States with different constitutional arrangements but similar evolutionary patterns in public administration might in fact perform and develop similarly in some policy fields while States with a similar form of government may adopt quite different arrangements. Research on these aspects is largely underdeveloped and this panel wants to contribute to its development. The panel connects the methodological, theoretical and empirical standpoints in the study of federalism and asymmetries. Panelists are invited to present studies and work in progress dealing with the drivers and effects of asymmetries in federal and decentralized States. The panel invites authors to think outside the box by exploring how given and created asymmetries can be studied across social science disciplines. It is open to papers seeking to make a theoretical or empirical contribution, treating federalism as either an independent or dependent variable, or both, and welcomes comparative studies.

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