Shared Rule in Federal Political Systems: Conceptual Lessons from Subnational Switzerland
Publisher DOI
Abstract
This article reconceptualizes shared rule and uses novel data to measure it, thus addressing two shortcomings of federal literature. First, while most studies focus on self-rule, one question that is largely neglected is how lower-level governments can influence politics at a higher level in the absence of “second” chambers. The answer is through shared rule. A second shortcoming is that even when addressing this question, scholars concentrate on constitutional-administrative aspects of vertical intergovernmentalism, neglecting more informal, “political” dynamics. Comparing the twenty-six Swiss cantons allows drawing two lessons for federal studies: That shared rule is multifaceted and complex, and that to study informal territorial actors as well as direct political processes is indispensable to understand how power is actually distributed in federal political systems.
Date Issued
2014-03-01
Publication Type
Article
Language(s)
en
Additional Credits
Journal
Publius - The Journal of Federalism
Publisher
Oxford University Press
ISSN
0048-5950
Access(Rights)
restricted