Making Federalism More Efficient: A Comparative Assessment

Abstract

It is assumed in this article that the recent reform wave in federal countries has been influenced and facilitated by efficiency considerations. Reform processes in five federal countries — Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland — belonging to two distinct types of federalism (power separation and power sharing) are analysed. It is asked whether efficiency considerations have led to a convergence process in the federal organization and intergovernmental relations of such distinct types. It turns out, first, that efficiency has indeed been a major point of reference for the design of reforms in all five federal countries and, second, that though one finds similarities in reforming the federal organization and intergovernmental relations, the differences between power separation and power-sharing federal countries continue to play a role.