1st Edition
Democratic Representation in Multi-level Systems The Vices and Virtues of Regionalisation
This comprehensive volume studies the vices and virtues of regionalisation in comparative perspective, including countries such as Belgium, Germany, Spain, and the UK, and discusses conditions that might facilitate or hamper responsiveness in regional democracies. It follows the entire chain of democratic responsiveness, starting from the translation of citizen preferences into voting behaviour, up to patterns of decision-making and policy implementation.
Many European democracies have experienced considerable decentralisation over the past few decades. This book explores the key virtues which may accompany this trend, such as regional-level political authorities performing better in understanding and implementing citizens’ preferences. It also examines how, on the other hand, decentralisation can come at a price, especially since the resulting multi-level structures may create several new obstacles to democratic representation, including information, responsibility and accountability problems.
This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal West European Politics.
1. Assessing democratic representation in multi-level democracies Thomas Däubler, Jochen Müller and Christian Stecker 2. Party unity in federal disunity: determinants of decentralised policy-seeking in Switzerland Sean Mueller and Julian Bernauer 3. Does EU regional policy increase parties’ support for European integration? Martin Gross and Marc Debus 4. Democratic regeneration in European peripheral regions: new politics for the territory? Matthias Scantamburlo, Sonia Alonso and Braulio Gómez 5. When incumbents can only gain: economic voting in local government elections in Poland Paula Kukołowicz and Maciej A. Górecki 6. Passing the buck? Responsibility attribution and cognitive bias in multilevel democracies Sandra León, Ignacio Jurado and Amuitz Garmendia Madariaga 7. Federal reform and the quality of representation in Belgium Emilie van Haute and Kris Deschouwer 8. A world of difference: the sources of regional government composition and alternation Arjan H. Schakel and Emanuele Massetti 9. Who governs? The disputed effects of regionalism on legislative career orientation in multilevel systems Jérémy Dodeigne 10. Party politics, institutions, and identity: the dynamics of regional venue shopping in the EU Oliver Huwyler, Michaël Tatham and Joachim Blatter 11. Ideological alignment and the distribution of public expenditures Hanna Kleider, Leonce Röth and Julian L. Garritzmann 12. Decentralising competences in multi-level systems: insights from the regulation of genetically modified organisms Jale Tosun and Ulrich Hartung
Biography
Thomas Däubler is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research, Germany. He studies electoral systems, party competition and legislative politics. His work has been published in journals including the European Journal of Political Research, Journal of Politics, and Legislative Studies Quarterly.
Jochen Müller is Assistant Professor in Political Sociology at the University of Greifswald, Germany. His research interests include legislative behaviour, government formation and party competition. His work has been published in journals including Electoral Studies, European Union Politics, Political Analysis, and Regional Studies.
Christian Stecker is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research, Germany. His research focuses on party competition and legislative politics. His work has been published in journals including the European Journal of Political Research, Political Analysis, West European Politics, and Party Politics.
