POLS2010 Chap.4 Federalism, Multilevel Governance and the EU
Federalism, Multilevel Governance and the EU
Week 4 asks how authority is spread across levels of government rather than within one level. The chapter explains the test that separates federal from unitary and confederal states, the continuum of multilevel governance, and the distinction between self-rule and shared rule.
It compares federalism in democracies, where independent courts can act as umpire, with its rarity and hollowness under authoritarian rule, and examines non-violent separatist movements in Québec, Scotland, Catalonia and elsewhere.
The last part treats the EU as supranational integration, explains the intergovernmental and neofunctionalist accounts, and reads Brexit as integration in reverse.
The chapter is built for comparison. Australia, Germany, India and the United States show federal designs; France, Denmark and Britain show unitary ones; Belgium and the UK show how unitary states can move power downward.
Russia and the former USSR show the authoritarian version, and the EU shows authority moving upward beyond the state.
Each pairing gives you a ready-made essay contrast.
Week 4’s tutorial topic asks whether devolving power weakens or strengthens separatist movements, so the material on Québec, Scotland and Catalonia doubles as essay preparation, and the Brexit material links forward to the United Kingdom case in Week 11.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Federal, unitary and confederal states
- 02
Multilevel governance as a continuum
- 03
Self-rule versus shared rule
- 04
Coming-together and holding-together federalism
- 05
Federalism under authoritarian rule
- 06
Separatist movements in rich democracies
- 07
The EU, supranationalism and Brexit
Worked example · free
Self-rule or shared rule?
- 1Setting the region’s own curriculum is authority exercised inside its own territory, which is self-rule.
- 1Taking part in approving national tax law is authority exercised jointly over the whole country, which is shared rule.
Key terms
- Multilevel governance
- The spread of decision-making power away from the national government, upward to supranational bodies and downward to regions and local councils.
- Self-rule
- The authority a regional government exercises over its own territory and population.
- Holding-together federalism
- A federation created when a diverse state devolves power to its regions in order to stay united.
- Supranational integration
- The pooling of sovereignty in joint institutions whose majority decisions bind member states, as in the European Union.
Federalism, Multilevel Governance and the EU FAQ
What makes a country federal rather than unitary?
In a federation, powers are divided and constitutionally protected so the centre cannot change the territorial arrangement alone. In a unitary state the centre may devolve power, as Britain did to Scotland, but it can reclaim that power on its own authority.
Does federalism work in authoritarian countries?
Rarely in a genuine sense. Real federalism disperses power, which conflicts with the concentration that defines autocracy, and it relies on judges who can hold the national government to its promises. A federal constitution can coexist with tight central control, as Russia’s power vertical shows.
Why did Brexit matter for theories of European integration?
It showed that integration can go into reverse. The neofunctionalist story of ever closer union expected spillover to keep deepening integration, while intergovernmentalism stresses that member governments remain in control. A large member state voting to leave supports the intergovernmental view.
Why do separatist movements in rich democracies rarely turn violent?
Most now pursue self-rule through regionalist parties, elections and referendums, as in Québec, Scotland and Catalonia, because democratic channels are open to them. Keating argues these are nation-building projects that seek autonomy within the state and beyond it, for instance in Europe, rather than outright secession.
What is the difference between coming-together and holding-together federalism?
Stepan’s terms describe two origins of federations. Coming-together federalism forms when separate units agree to unite, as the American states did; holding-together federalism forms when a diverse state devolves power to stay whole, as in India, Belgium and Spain.
Exam move
Build a two-column comparison of federalism in democracies and under authoritarian rule, with one country example and one mechanism for each row, because the contrast is a natural essay structure. Learn the referendum dates for Québec, Scotland and Catalonia so that separatism answers carry evidence.
For the EU, practise explaining intergovernmentalism and neofunctionalism in two sentences each, then say which one Brexit supports and why. Finally, rehearse the self-rule and shared-rule distinction on two or three powers you invent, until you can classify any power instantly.
Finish with two timed paragraphs: one arguing that devolution accommodates separatism and one arguing that it fuels it, each with a named case and a piece of evidence such as a referendum date. Writing both sides first makes the judgement in your final paragraph far easier to defend under exam conditions.
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