Federalism in a Turbulent Era

This timely book surveys nine diverse federal systems and their responses to contemporary crises. Expert contributors argue that the dynamics of federal governance across a broad range of geographic, political, and developmental contexts can be revealed by investigating how they navigate distinct subnational, national, and international challenges. This timely book surveys nine diverse federal systems and their responses to contemporary crises. Expert contributors argue that the dynamics of federal governance across a broad range of geographic, political, and developmental contexts can be revealed by investigating how they navigate distinct subnational, national and international challenges. Adopting a representative case-study methodology, contributors provide in-depth insights into the federal responses of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Russia and the USA to challenges such as populism, migration, pandemic, inflation, climate change, resource distribution, and conflict. The book explores federalism’s cultural, social, and territorial dimensions, highlighting how these shape crisis management beyond constitutional structures. Chapters uncover why some federations succeed while others falter, emphasizing the delicate balance between unity and local autonomy, and underscoring the need to foster resilience through cooperation and balanced power-sharing. This book is a vital resource for students and academics in political science, comparative constitutional law, public administration and management, and international relations. It is also a must-read for policymakers, government officials, and other practitioners in these fields seeking to understand the unprecedented challenges faced by federal systems in the modern world.