Abstract

Federalism, as Daniel Elazar famously coined, involves self rule with shared rule.

Relative to self-rule, however, studies of federalism have often set aside examinations

of shared-rule or reduced it to the institutionalization of co-determination, understood

as the ability of constituent units to influence the actions of the centre. This talk

considers why shared-rule has been marginalized in the study of federalism,

highlighting the influence of ontological and epistemological predilictions of the field of

federalism studies. Then, drawing on the Canadian case, I will outline the centrality of

shared rule as an essential component of federalism as an idea and federations in

practice.

Date: 24 February 2026, 11:00 – 12:30

Venue: Ihnestr. 22, Room 301c

All colleagues and students are warmly welcome.