Territory, Democracy and Justice Regionalism and Federalism in Western Democracies

'This is a bold, original, intellectually inspiring work. What difference does regionalism make to the modern state, in particular its key values of the democratic process, social justice and policy-making capacity? These leading social scientists from Europe and North America show that decentralization is no mere side effect of some strategic goal, but is itself a powerful variable. No less challenging, moreover, is their demonstration that at the same time, the effects of the institutions of territorial politics will be shaped by the institutional context, especially political parties, intergovernmental finance and interjurisdictional learning. Advocates of federalism trying to cope with skeptical behavioralists who deny the influence of federal institutions as structure or ideal will find this book a great help.'-Samuel H. Beer, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government Emeritus, Harvard University, USA