Selected Bibliography on Federalism

(Updated March 2010)

What is Federalism?  Why Federalism?

  • Anastakis, Dimitry and Bryden, P.E. (Eds), Framing Canadian federalism : historical essays in honour of John T. Saywell. Toronto : University of Toronto Press 2009
  • Burgess, Michael. Comparative Federalism Theory and Practice. London: Routledge, 2006, 372 pp.
  • Cameron, David. "The paradox of federalism: some practical reflections" Regional and Federal Studies, Vol. 19, no. 2 (May 2009) 309-319.
  • Forum of Federations. Federalism: An Introduction. Anderson, George. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2008.
  • Elazar, Daniel J. “Contrasting Unitary and Federal Systems” (1997) 18:3 International Political Science Review 327-351.
  • Karmis, Dimitrios & Wayne Norman, eds. Theories of Federalism: A Reader. New York: Palgrave, 2005, 352 pp. 

Canadian Federalism (General)

  • Bakvis, Herman & Grace Skogstad, eds. Canadian Federalism: Performance, Effectiveness, and Legitimacy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008, 408 pages
  • Banting, Keith et al. Open Federalism: Interpretations, Significance. Kingston: Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, Queen’s University, 2006, 86 pp.
  • Brouillet, Eugénie. La Négation de la Nation: L’identité culturelle québécoise et le fédéralisme canadien. Sillery, Québec: Septentrion, 2005, 481 pp.
  • Gagnon, Alain-G. Le fédéralisme canadien contemporain: fondements, traditions, institutions. Montreal: Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2006, 559 pp.
  • Meekison, J. Peter, Hamish Telford & Harvey Lazar, eds. Canada: The State of the Federation 2002: Reconsidering the Institutions of Canadian Federalism. Montréal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2004, 528 pp.
  • Leuprecht, Christian & John Meisel, eds. The Federal Idea: Essays in Honour of Ronald L. Watts. Montréal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, forthcoming 2008.
  • Montpetit, Eric. Le Fédéralisme d’ouverture: La recherche d’une légitimité canadienne au Québec. Sillery, Québec: Septentrion, 2007, 129 pp.
  • Peach, Ian, ed. Constructing Tomorrow's Federalism. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2007, 220 pp.
  • Simeon, Richard. Federal-Provincial Diplomacy: The Making of Recent Policy in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006, 342 pp.
  • Smiley, Donald V. & Ronald L. Watts. Intrastate Federalism in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985, 170 pp.
  • Taylor, Charles. Reconciling the Solitudes: Essays on Canadian Federalism and Nationalism. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1993, 228 pp. 

Federalism, the Canadian Constitution & the Courts

  • Baier, Gerald. Courts and Federalism: Judicial Doctrine in the United States, Australia and Canada. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2006, 224 pp.
  • Gaudreault-Desbiens, Jean-François. “La Charte canadienne des droits et libertés et le fédéralisme: quelques remarques sur les vingt premières années d'une relation ambiguë” (2003) Revue du Barreau 271-310.
  • Hogg, Peter & Wade Wright. “Canadian Federalism, the Privy Council and the Supreme Court: Reflections on the Debate about Canadian Federalism” (2005) 38(2) U.B.C. Law Rev. 329.
  • Leclair, Jean. “The Supreme Court of Canada’s Understanding of Federalism: Efficiency at the Expense of Diversity” (2003) 28 Queen’s L.J. 411.
  • Mackay, A. Wayne. “The Supreme Court of Canada and Federalism: Does \ Should Anyone Care Anymore?” (2001) 80 Canadian Bar Review241.
  • Saywell, John T. The Lawmakers: Judicial Power and the Shaping of Canadian Federalism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002, 432 pp.

Fiscal Federalism

  • Boadway, Robin. “Intergovernmental Redistributive Transfers: Efficiency and Equity” in Ehtisham Ahmad & Giorgio Brosio, eds. Handbook of Fiscal Federalism. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2006, 355-380.
  • Choudhry, Sujit, Jean-François Gaudreault-Desbiens, & Lorne Sossin, eds. Dilemmas of Solidarity: Rethinking Redistribution in the Canadian Federation. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006, 224 pp.
  • Courchene, Thomas & Christian Leuprecht, eds. Canada: The State of the Federation 2006. Fiscal Federalism and The Future of Canada (Montreal and Kingston, McGill-Queen’s University Press,
    2007).
  • Forum of Federations. Fiscal Federalism: A Comparative Introduction. Anderson, George. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2009.
  • Lazar, Harvey, ed. Canadian Fiscal Arrangements: What Works, What Might Work Better. Montréal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2005, 288 pp.
  • Policy Options Politiques. Equalization and the Federal Spending Power. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy, Vol. 28, No. 3, March 2007, 11-57.
  • Policy Options Politiques. The Fiscal Imbalance. Montréal: Institute for Research on Public Policy, Vol. 27, No. 7, September 2006, 84 pp.
  • Shah, Anwar & Robin Boadway, eds. Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2007, 624 pp.

National Unity

  • Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, Special Issue on Secession, Vol. XIII, No. 2, July 2000, 262 pp. 
  • Courchene, Thomas J. The Changing Nature of Quebec-Canada Relations: From the 1980 Referendum to the Summit of the Canadas. IRPP Working Paper 2004-08, September 2004, 33 pp.
  • Palard Jacques, Alain G. Gagnon & Bernard Gagnon, eds. Diversité et identités au Québec et dans les régions d’Europe. Laval-Bruxelles, Les Presses Université de Laval - P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2006.
  • Gagnon Alain-G. & Raffaele Iacovino. Federalism, Citizenship and Quebec: Debating Multinationalism. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006, 228 pp.
  • Gagnon Alain-G. La raison du plus fort : plaidoyer pour le fédéralisme multinational. Montréal : Chaire de recherche du Canada en études québécoises et canadiennes 2008
  • Pratte, André (ed), Reconquering Canada : Quebec federalists speak up for change; foreword by John Ralston Saul ; translated by Patrick Watson. Vancouver : Douglas & McIntyre 2008
  • Murphy, Michael, ed. Canada: The State of the Federation 2005. Québec and Canada in the New Century: New Dynamics, New Opportunities. Montréal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007, 350 pp.
  • Pelletier, Réjean, Le Québec et le fédéralisme canadien : un regard critique. Québec : Presses de l'Université Laval 2008

Comparative Federalism

  • Amoretti, Ugo & Nancy Bermeo. Federalism and Territorial Cleavages. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2004, 512 pp.
  • Barbiero, Franco. "Federalizing Canada's securities regulatory regime: insights from the Australian experience" National Journal of Constitutional Law / Revue nationale de droit constitutionnel, Vol. 24, no. 1 (December 2008) 89-120.
  • Bolleyer, Nicole and Evelyn Bytzek. "Government congruence and intergovernmental relations in federal systems" Regional and Federal Studies, Vol. 19, no. 3 (July 2009) 371-397
  • Burgess, Michael and Pindar, John (eds), Multinational Fderalism (London, Routledge, 2007)
  • Erk, Jan and Edward Koning. “New Structuralism and Institutional Change: Federalism between Centralization and Decentralization”, Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 42, No. 11, 2010
  • Erk, Jan. Explaining Federalism: State, Society and Congruence in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany and Switzerland. (London, Routledge, 2007)
  • Forum of Federations. Global Dialogue Book Series. Montréal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press:
    • Volume 1: Kincaid, John & G. Alan Tarr, eds. Constitutional Origins, Structure and Change in Federal Countries. 2005, 472 pp.
    • Volume 2: Majeed, Akhtar, Ronald L. Watts & Douglas M. Brown, eds. Distribution of Powers and Responsibilities in Federal Countries. 2006, 384 pp.
    • Volume 3: Le Roy, Katy & Cheryl Saunders, eds. Legislative, Executive and Judicial Governance in Federal Countries. 2006, 403 pp. 
  • Forum of Federations. Global Dialogue Booklet Series. Blindenbacher, Raoul & Ostien Karos, Abigail, eds. Gatineau, Québec: Imprimerie Gauvin:
    • Volume 1: Dialogues on Constitutional Origins, Structure and Change in Federal Countries. 2005, 80 pp.
    • Volume 2: Dialogues on Distribution of Powers and Responsibilities in Federal Countries. 2005, 68 pp.
    • Volume 3: Dialogues on Legislative, Executive and Judicial Governance in Federal Countries. 2006, 68 pp.
    • Volume 4: Dialogues on the Practice of Fiscal Federalism: Comparative Perspectives. 2006, 62 pp.
    • Volume 5: Dialogues on Foreign Relations in Federal Countries. 2007, 56 pp.
    • Volume 6: Dialogues on Local Government and Metropolitan Regions in Federal Countries. Forthcoming 2007, 56 pp. 
  • Forum of Federations. Handbook of Federal Countries, 2005. Griffiths, Ann L., ed. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2005, 488 pp.
  • Hueglin, Thomas O. & Alan Fenna. Comparative Federalism: A Systematic Inquiry. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2005, 390 pp.
  • Morrissette, France, Les procédures canadienne et communautaire de conclusion des traités : démocratie, équilibre institutionnel et principe fédéral : leçons à tirer de la Communauté européenne. Montréal : Wilson & Lafleur 2008.
  • Taylor, Gregory. Characterisation in Federations: Six Countries Compared. New York: Springer Publishing, 2006, 183 pp. 
  • Watts, Ronald L. The Spending Power in Federal Systems: A Comparative Study. Kingston: Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, Queen's University, 1999, 89 pp.