On 24 February, Prof. Jenn Wallner (PhD), University of Ottawa, presented her work on “Shared Rule in Canada” in a talk at the Otto Suhr Institute of FU Berlin. The talk was organized by Prof. Sabine Kropp. Attendees included Felix Knüpling, Vice President of Programmes at the Forum of Federations (FoF;https://www.forumfed.org/staff/), professors from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg and the HWR Berlin, as well as postdoctoral researchers and students from the FU. This talk was another collaboration between Wallner and Kropp, following their successful joint teaching during the last two terms, which brought together students from the University of Ottawa and the FU Berlin. 

 In her presentation, Jenn Wallner proposed a new research agenda on shared rule in federal countries, which she defined as “legitimized sovereignty pooled”. She raises questions regarding legitimacy, co-determination, and co-exercise of rule. Her work offers new insights into the ontological and epistemological aspects of shared rule and federalism. Unlike positivist and post-positivist approaches, she offers a combination of normative, theoretical and empirical perspectives on shared rule in federal countries. 

In her analysis, she emphasizes the importance of historical context and informal rules to grasp the specifics of shared rule. In her examination of shared rule in Canada, Jenn Wallner also points to the colonial origins of legitimized (not necessarily legitimate) sovereignty. 

We are very grateful for her inspiring insights and ideas, and for the subsequent prosperous discussion. As the next step in our ongoing cooperation with Jenn Wallner, the University of Ottawa and the FoF, Sabine Kropp will present a paper on shared rule in Germany at a conference in Ottawa this autumn.