Federal countries face innumerable challenges including public health crises, economic uncertainty, and widespread public distrust in governing institutions. They are also home to 40 per cent of the world’s population.
Rethinking Decentralization explores the question of what makes a successful federal government by examining the unique role of public attitudes in maintaining the fragile institutions of federalism. Conventional wisdom is that successful federal governance is predicated on the degree to which authority is devolved to lower levels of government and the extent to which citizens display a “federal spirit” – a term often referenced but rarely defined. Jacob Deem puts these claims to the test, examining public attitudes in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Deem demonstrates how the role of citizen attachment to particular manifestations of decentralization, subsidiarity, and federalism is unique to each country and a reflection of its history, institutions, and culture.
Essential reading for policymakers, academics, and everyday citizens, Rethinking Decentralization re-centres the public to offer a nuanced way of thinking about federal governance.

Jacob Deem is lecturer at Central Queensland University, Australia.

Jacob Deem's profile page

“Rethinking Decentralization breaks new theoretical ground in its multidimensional understanding of subsidiarity. Showcasing his deep knowledge on the peculiarities of eight different countries, Jacob Deem elegantly weaves his findings into case-specific narratives. There is no other book on this subject with the same conceptual, theoretical, historical, and empirical breadth.” Sean Mueller, University of Lausanne and author of Theorising Decentralisation: Comparative Evidence from Subnational Switzerland

“An impressive theoretical, conceptual, historical, and cultural understanding of why some countries enjoy greater federal success than others. Highly recommended.” Choice