Enabling citizens: Autonomy-preserving federalism

Arthur Benz

Chapter 9 in Understanding Federal Democracy, 2026, pp 163-182 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Notwithstanding the specific allocation of authority, governments directly or indirectly interact when they apply their authority in policymaking. Confronted with the challenges of negotiating agreements, regional and federal governments have introduced autonomy-preserving modes of governance to balance effective policy coordination and democratic legitimacy. These modes are based on federal regulation or intergovernmental agreements. However, they allow controlled diversity of regional policies, which feeds back into coordinated governance. The chapter describes various procedures, as well as the necessary prerequisites to put the idea of an autonomy-preserving federalism into practice. Emphasizing the need for balancing power, fiscal balance and constitutional flexibility, it suggests understanding federal democracy as a dynamic system and process.

Keywords: Autonomy; Decentralization; Governing by Standards; Opting Out; Regulation; Yardstick Competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035361489
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