New Theories on Federalism and Decentralisation

The lines between federal and decentralised systems continue to blur. Academic discussions on the status and categorisation of Spain, Italy, India and the European Union, amongst other systems, pushes us to revisit what we mean by federalism and how federal states differ from decentralised ones. This panel invites contributions to this debate, both theoretical and empirical, looking at case studies around the world. Moreover, it asks the question if this distinction even matters in the "real world" or if this is mainly a theoretical discussion. Moreover, we are interested in emerging federal systems that do not fit the classic understanding of federalism.