Regional Perspectives on Federalism

Regional Perspectives on Federalism

Despite its pervasiveness in practice, The Federal Contract argues that federalism has been strangely neglected by constitutional theory. This is both unsatisfactory in conceptual terms and problematic for constitutional practitioners, obscuring as it does the core meaning, purpose and applicability of federalism as a specific model of constitutionalism with which to organise territorially pluralised and demotically complex states. In fact, the federal contract represents a highly distinctive order of rule which in turn requires a particular, ‘territorialised’ approach to many of the fundamental concepts with which constitutionalists and political actors operate: constituent power, the nature of sovereignty, subjecthood and citizenship, the relationship between institutions and constitutional authority, patterns of constitutional change and, ultimately, the legitimacy link between constitutionalism and democracy.

In rethinking the idea and practice of federalism, Tierney’s book adopts a root and branch recalibration of the federal contract. It does so by analysing federalism through the conceptual categories that characterise the nature of the modern constitution: foundations, authority, subjecthood, purpose, design and dynamics. This approach seeks to explain and in so doing revitalise federalism as a discrete, capacious and adaptable concept of rule that can be deployed imaginatively to facilitate the deep territorial variety that characterises so many states in the 21st century.

Speakers:

• Professor Wilfried Swenden, Professor of South Asian and Comparative Politics, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Kimana Zulueta-Fülscher, Senior Programme Officer in the Constitution-Building Programme, International IDEA
• Professor Yonatan Fessha, Professor of Law at the University of the Western Cape
• Professor Marta Arretche, Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of São Paulo

Chair: Dr Elisenda Casanas Adam, Senior Lecturer in Public Law and Human Rights, University of Edinburgh

This event is free to attend but registration is required. 

Register to attend online

There will be a limited number of places available for in-person attendance. If you would like to attend either event in-person, please email Pravar Petkar (eccl@ed.ac.uk) to register.