1st Edition

Why Regions Matter: Small Worlds in Comparative Perspective

Edited By Ailsa Henderson Copyright 2011

    Bringing together experts on regionalism and federalism this collection explores the impact of legislative regions on parties and voters. It reflects on the 1980 publication of Small Worlds by David Elkins and Richard Simeon, which outlined how and why voters and policies differ across Canadian provinces. Using recent data, the essays in this collection provide a comparative re-examination of the impact of regions.

    The book explores attitude divergence in Canada and in the US, the role and impact of regional parties in Quebec, Scotland and Bavaria, the impact of multi-level governance on how citizens understand and discharge their duties and the capacity of sub-state political systems to influence general political attitudes. The result is an empirical and analytical contribution to regionalism and federalism studies that demonstrates how and why regions matter.

    This book was published as a special issue of Regional and Federal Studies.

    1. "Why Regions Matter: Sub-state Polities in Comparative Perspective" – Ailsa Henderson (University of Edinburgh)

    2. "Regional Heterogeneity and Policy Preferences in Canada: 1979-2006" – Cameron Anderson (University of Western Ontario)

    3. "Small Worlds as Predictors of General Political Attitudes" – Ailsa Henderson (University of Edinburgh)

    4. "The Space Between Worlds: Federalism, Public Issues and Election Issues" – Fred Cutler (University of British Columbia)

    5. "Regional Subcultures and Mass Preferences regarding Candidate Traits in the United States" – Christopher J. Carman (University of Strathclyde) and David C. Barker (University of Pittsburgh)

    6. "Small Worlds in Canada and Europe: A Comparison of Regional Party Systems in Quebec, Bavaria and Scotland" – Eve Hepburn (University of Edinburgh)

    7. "Postscript: Many Small Worlds" – Richard Simeon (University of Toronto)

    Biography

    Ailsa Henderson is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh. She has published widely on sub-state political cultures and elections and is the author of Hierarchies of Belonging: National Identity and Political Culture in Scotland and Quebec (2007) and Nunavut: Rethinking Political Culture (2007). She currently holds a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship to study regional political cultures in Europe.