Governing Federal Systems

Federated systems of government present opportunities and challenges for democratic accountability, managing collective action problems, economic stability, and distribution of goods and services. Course will take up the theory and practice of governing federated systems using a comparative approach that examines federated systems in several countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, Brazil, and India. Questions this course will examine include: What helps explain the emergence, persistence, and erosion of federalism? What are the implications of federalism for democratic accountability? What are the implications of federalism for fiscal stability? What are the implications of federalism for political, social, and economic inequality?