Federalism Archives – Decentralization Net

Can federalism constrain authoritarianism?

January 26, 2026 LPS Alliance

Across the globe, democratic backsliding increasingly originates not from military coups or constitutional breakdowns, but from elected executives who concentrate power from within the system. Courts are packed, legislatures sidelined, and independent agencies weakened—often through […]

Federalism, regionalism, and territorial governance

August 15, 2025 LPS Alliance

The study of regionalism, federalism, and territorial governance has historically been dominated by research on Europe and North America. While these regions have provided valuable insights into multi-level governance, they represent only a fraction of […]

Syria’s new leaders reject demands for federalism and regional autonomy

April 29, 2025 LPS Alliance

Syria’s Islamist leaders said this week on Sunday that Kurdish demands for the country to adopt a decentralized system of government in a post-Assad political order posed a threat to national unity. “We clearly reject […]

What is federalism?

July 6, 2023 LPS Alliance

Decentralization, multilevel governance, and federalism are closely related terms. They all relate to how the public sector organizes itself across different government levels or administrative tiers. However, the term ‘federalism’ denotes a specific type of […]

Climate Governance and Federalism

May 28, 2023 LPS Alliance

Climate change poses one of the greatest challenges of our time, demanding urgent action and global cooperation. As nations grapple with the complexities of climate governance, the role of federal systems becomes a topic of […]

Decarbonization and political transformation in Iraq

May 11, 2023 LPS Alliance

What happens when a petrostate loses its oil rents? While the oil market continues to go through boom-and-bust cycles, cases such as Iraq provide evidence of how the rapid loss of oil revenues—traumatic decarbonization—may affect […]

Gender Equality and Federalism

September 18, 2022 LPSAManager

Gender inequality is perhaps the single most significant impediment to achieving a more just, equitable, prosperous, and inclusive world. Inequality, a root cause of poverty, instability, and conflict, is damaging to people, societies, and the […]

The Role of Subnational Governments in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response

August 18, 2022 LPSAManager

As the severity and scale of the COVID – 19 pandemic became apparent in early 2020, many countries and global actors mobilized to respond to the pressing crisis. In addition to the general demands the […]

What is the impact of fiscal decentralization on economic growth?

July 30, 2021 LPS Initiative

Fiscal decentralization is a complex challenge for developed countries with mature fiscal federalism processes. The fiscal decentralization challenge is even greater for developing countries, which often face considerable capacity constraints hurdles in implementing more decentralized […]

Why Latin America’s Bet on Local Government Is Ambitious – and Risky

July 21, 2021 LPS Initiative

A silent trend, capable of radically shaping policy and business over the long run, is taking hold in Latin America: Several countries are adopting ambitious measures to further decentralize their governments. Under the slogan “More […]