Federal dynamics, solidarity, and European Union crisis politics

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, I analyse solidarity between regions during times of crisis. To begin with, I define two types of solidarity preferences. Negative solidarity means that territories will regard solidarity only as appropriate in the limits of intergovernmental contracts and consider the fiscal consequences of solidarity to be more important than the social consequences. Positive solidarity implies that regions consider solidarity even if it goes beyond existing intergovernmental contracts as they regard social consequences to be more important than fiscal consequences. I argue that the combination of regional collective identities, the relative importance of intergovernmental over parliamentary decision-making, and the complexity of policy problems impact on preferences for solidarity. To illustrate my argument empirically, I use the European Union (EU) and federal states as examples. More generally, I make a theoretical contribution to understanding the politics of solidarity.