Blog posts by Regional and Federal Studies

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Alhambra, Granada and photos of the authors
Regional and Federal Studies

Why institutional quality matters for regional R&D in Southern Europe

What explains regional differences in research and development expenditure? Juan A. Román-Aso, Fernando Coca Villalba, and Irene Bosch Frigola examine regions across Southern Europe, finding that institutional quality, particularly the impartiality of public administration, is positively associated with R&D spending.

Images of the authors and of a sunset over the Amazon river
Regional and Federal Studies

Armed conflict and corruption: The dark side of fiscal decentralisation in Colombia

Fiscal decentralisation promises to bring government closer to citizens and reduce regional inequalities, but its success depends on the institutions receiving these powers. Drawing on departmental data from Colombia between 2005 and 2020, Jaime E. Ávila-Álvarez, Beatriz Cuadrado-Ballesteros, and Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero examine how armed conflict and corruption undermine these ambitions, allowing public resources to be captured by armed groups and local elites.
An image of the meeting place of the Corsican Assembly, the Grand Hôtel d'Ajaccio et Continental, Ajaccio, and an image of the author
Regional and Federal Studies

Which Level Is Reformed? Political Protection and the Politics of Territorial Restructuring in France

France’s 2014 territorial reform redrew regional boundaries while preserving departments, despite longstanding calls for their abolition. Patrick Le Lidec argues that this choice reflected the unequal political protection enjoyed by different levels of government. Institutions with stronger protection could both resist restructuring and help redirect reform towards a more exposed tier.
Image of a Job Centre Plus and photos of the blog authors
Regional and Federal Studies

Is devolution the answer to better align education and skill systems with the requirements of local labour markets?

The UK’s high rate of young people not in education, employment or training is strongly shaped by uneven local labour markets, raising questions about whether greater devolution of education and skills policy can improve outcomes. Drawing on their recent research on Scotland and Wales, Steven Ballantyne and Elke Heins introduce the concept of ‘constrained divergence’ to show that devolved governments can pursue distinctive priorities and governance approaches while remaining limited by the UK’s wider growth model, welfare regime and fiscal structures.
Lega Nord demonstration and photos of the authors
Regional and Federal Studies

Building a loyal and stable political class: the Lega (Nord) in Italy

Sofia Marini and Gianluca Piccolino examine the Lega’s evolution through the career trajectories of its elected representatives, arguing that the composition of a party’s political class offers an important window onto its institutionalisation.
Images of the authors and of the Bivacco Donato Zeni
Regional and Federal Studies

Why crises may induce federalization of the European Union

Madeleine O. Hosli, Caterina Zamparini, Oliver Price, and Vahistha Jyalita summarise a recent article published in Regional & Federal Studies, examining how major crises can accelerate the gradual federalization of the European Union.

An image of the authors and Osaka
Regional and Federal Studies

Commentary: Beyond Capital-City Dominance - Two Models of Territorial State Reform in Britain and Japan

Naoki Fujiwara and Andrew Stevens compare emerging efforts in Britain and Japan to reduce the dominance of their capital cities, focusing on Andy Burnham’s proposed “Number 10 North” in Manchester and Japan’s plans for a “second capital” centred on Osaka.
An image of the author and Castillo San Felipe del Morro, part of the San Juan National Historic Site, Old San Juan
Regional and Federal Studies

Puerto Rico and an Unfulfilled PROMESA: Reflecting on Ten Years of the Territorial Bankruptcy Regime

Ten years after the passage of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), Puerto Rico’s debt crisis continues to expose the unresolved colonial foundations of its relationship with the United States, argues Mariely López-Santana.

Images of the authors and mountains in Nepal
Regional and Federal Studies

Federalism’s Unfulfilled Climate Promise: The Role of Provincial Governments in Nepal

This blog uses a Political Economy Analysis approach to examine the roles, capacities, opportunities, and constraints of provincial governments within Nepal’s multilevel climate governance system.

Images of Maoist wallpainting in Kathmandu and the authors
Regional and Federal Studies

Why the link Between Federalism and Transitional Justice Matters for Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

This blog argues that federalism and transitional justice are too often treated as separate components of post-conflict peacebuilding, despite their shared concern with power, accountability, representation, and redress
Images of the authors and of a sign saying welcome to Batam
Regional and Federal Studies

Institutional conflict in regional development: path dependence in the free trade zone and decentralization of Batam, Indonesia

This blog argues that regional development can become deeply complicated when multiple government institutions operate within the same territory without clearly defined authority.
Image of central bank of Argentina and the authors
Regional and Federal Studies

When provinces borrow in dollars: Argentina’s lessons for federal debt governance

Alcides Bazza and Juan Pablo Tedesco examine why Argentine provinces have repeatedly faced debt restructuring, arguing that the central problem lies in the currency composition of subnational debt

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