Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Federalism as a Public Good

  • Published:
Constitutional Political Economy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper suggests that stabilizing federalism is like solving a public good provision problem. It reviews results in the public good provision literature that are relevant for federalism, and discusses the implications of these results for the institutional design of federalism.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bednar, J. (2004a) “Is Full Compliance Possible? Conditions for Shirking with Imperfect Monitoring and Continuous Action Spaces.” University of Michigan manuscript, under review

  • J Bednar (2004b) ArticleTitleJudicial Predictability and Federal Stability: Strategic Consequences of Institutional Imperfection Journal of Theoretical Politics 16 IssueID4 423–46 Occurrence Handle10.1177/0951629804046149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bednar, J. (2006) “Credit Assignment and Federal Encroachment.” Supreme Court Economic Review, forthcoming

  • J. Bednar W. N. Eskridge SuffixJr. (1995) ArticleTitleSteadying the Court’s `Unsteady Path’: A Theory of Judicial Enforcement of Federalism Southern California Law Review 68 1447–91

    Google Scholar 

  • S.H. Beer (1993) To Make a Nation: The Rediscovery of American Federalism Belknap Press Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • J Bendor (1985) Parallel Systems: Redundancy in Government University of California Press Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • J. B. Bendor D. Mobkherjee (1987) ArticleTitleInstitutional Structure and the Logic of Ongoing Collective Action American Political Science Review 81 IssueID1 129–54

    Google Scholar 

  • A. C. Cairns (1971) ArticleTitleThe Judicial Committee and its Critics Canadian Journal of Political Science 4 IssueIDSep 301–44

    Google Scholar 

  • R. L. Calvert (1995) Rational Actors, Equilibrium, and Social Institutions J. Knight I. Sened (Eds) Explaining Social Institutions University of Michigan Press Ann Arbor

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Choper (1977) ArticleTitleThe Scope of National Power vis-a-vis the States: The Dispensability of Judicial Review Yale Law Journal 86 1552–1621

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Crémer T. R. Palfrey (1996) ArticleTitleIn or Out? Centralization by Marjority Vote European Economic Review 40 43–60 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0014-2921(95)00053-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Crémer T. R. Palfrey (1999) ArticleTitlePolitical Confederation American Political Science Review 93 IssueID1 69–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Crémer, J. and Palfrey, T. R. (2002). “An Equilibrium Model of Federal Mandates.” Caltech manuscript

  • D. Diermeier (1995) ArticleTitleCommitment, Deference, and Legislative Institutions American Political Science Review 89 IssueID2 344–55

    Google Scholar 

  • R. D. Dikshit (1975) The Political Geography of Federalism: An Inquiry into Origins and Stability John Wiley & Sons New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixit, A. and Londregan, J. (1998) ``Fiscal Federation and Redistriibutive Politics.'' Journal of Public Economics 68(2): 153--180

    Google Scholar 

  • J. D. Donahue (1997) ArticleTitleTiebout? Or Not Tiebout? The Market Metaphor and America’s Devolution Debate Journal of Economic Perspectives 11 IssueID4 73–81

    Google Scholar 

  • G. W. Downs D. M. Rocke (1995) Optimal Imperfection? Domestic Uncertainty and Institutions in International Relations Princeton University Press Princeton, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • D. J. Elazar (1987) Exploring Federalism University of Alabama Press Tuscaloosa

    Google Scholar 

  • W. N. Eskridge J. Ferejohn (1994) ArticleTitleThe Elastic Commerce Clause Vanderbilt Law Review 47 IssueIDOct 1355–1400

    Google Scholar 

  • J. D. Fearon D. D. Laitin (1996) ArticleTitleExplaining Interethnic Cooperation American Political Science Review 90 IssueID4 715–35

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Filippov P. C. Ordeshook O. Shvetsova (2004) Designing Federalism: A Theory of Self-Sustainable Federal Institutions Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • T. M. Franck (Eds) (1968) Why Federations Fail: An Inquiry into the Requisites for Successful Federalism New York University Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • E. J. Green R. H. Porter (1984) ArticleTitleNoncooperative Collusion under Imperfect Information Econometrica 52 IssueID1 87–100

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Greif P., Milgrom B. R. Weingast (1994) ArticleTitleCoordination, Commitment, and Enforcement: The Case of the Merchant Guild Journal of Political Economy 102 IssueID4 745–76 Occurrence Handle10.1086/261953

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hafer, C. and Landa. D. (2004). “Public Goods and Federal Systems.” New York University manuscript

  • G. Hardin (1968) ArticleTitleThe Tragedy of the Commons Science 162 1243–8

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Hardin (1989) Why A Constitution? B. Grofman D. Whitman (Eds) The Federalist Papers and the New Institutionalism Agathon New York

    Google Scholar 

  • U. K. Hicks (1978) Federalism: Failure and Success, a Comparative Study Oxford University Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • D. L. Horowitz (1985) Ethnic Groups in Conflict University of California Press Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Inman D. Rubinfeld (1992) ArticleTitleFiscal Federalism in Europe: Lessons from the United States Experience European Economic Review 36 IssueID2–3 654–60 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0014-2921(92)90124-F

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jen, E. (2002). “Stable or Robust: Whats the Difference?” Santa Fe Institute Working Paper 02–12–069

  • K. Kollman J. H. Miller S. E. Page (2000) ArticleTitleDecentralization and the Search for Policy Solutions Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 16 IssueID1 102–28

    Google Scholar 

  • L. D. Kramer (2000) ArticleTitlePutting the Politics Back into the Political Safeguards of Federalism Columbia Law Review 100 215–93

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Lemco (1991) Political Stability in Federal Governments Praeger Publishers New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Levinson, D. 2005 (forthcoming). “Empire-Building Government in Constitutional Law.” Harvard Law Review 118: 915--972

  • R. A. Musgrave (1997) ArticleTitleDevolution, Grants, and Fiscal Competition Journal of Economic Perspectives 11 IssueID4 65–72

    Google Scholar 

  • W. Oates (1999) ArticleTitleAn Essay on Fiscal Federalism Journal of Economic Literature 37 IssueID3 1120–49

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Olson (1965) The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups Harvard University Press Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • P. C. Ordeshook (1996) ArticleTitleRussias Party System: Is Russian Federalism Viable? Post-Soviet Affairs 12 IssueID3 145–217

    Google Scholar 

  • P. C. Ordeshook O. Shvetsova (1995) ArticleTitleIf Madison and Hamilton Were Merely Lucky, What Hope Is There for Russian Federalism? Constitutional Political Economy 6 IssueID2 107–26 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF01303252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E. Ostrom (1990) Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action Cambridge University Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • V. Ostrom (1971) The Political Theory of a Compound Republic University of Nebraska Press Lincoln

    Google Scholar 

  • V. Ostrom (1991) The Meaning of American Federalism: Constituting a Self-Governing Society Institute for Contemporary Studies San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • P. E. Peterson (1981) City Limits University of Chicago Press Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • P. E. Peterson (1995) The Price of Federalism Brookings Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Y. Qian B. R. Weingast (1997) ArticleTitleFederalism as a Commitment to Preserving Market Incentives Journal of Economic Perspectives 11 IssueID4 83–92

    Google Scholar 

  • W. H. Riker (1964) Federalism: Origin, Operation, Significance Little, Brown and Company Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • W. H. Riker (1987) The Development of American Federalism Kluwer Academic Publishers Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Rodden S. Rose-Ackerman (1997) ArticleTitleDoes Federalism Preserve Markets? Virginia Law Review 83 IssueID7 1521–72

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Rodden E. Wibbels (2002) ArticleTitleBeyond the Fiction of Federalism: Macroeconomic Management in Multitiered Systems World Politics 54 494–531

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Stepan (1999) ArticleTitleFederalism and Democracy: Beyond the U.S. Model Journal of Democracy 10 IssueID4 19–33

    Google Scholar 

  • C. R. Sunstein (2001) Designing Democracy: What Constitutions Do Oxford University Press New York

    Google Scholar 

  • C. M. Tiebout (1956) ArticleTitleA Pure Theory of Local Expenditures Journal of Political Economy 64 IssueID5 416–24 Occurrence Handle10.1086/257839

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Watts (1996) Comparing Federal Systems in the 1990s Queens University, Institute of Intergovernmental Relations Kingston, ON

    Google Scholar 

  • B. R. Weingast (1995) ArticleTitleThe Economic Role of Political Institutions: Market-Preserving Federalism and Economic Growth Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 11 1–31

    Google Scholar 

  • J. C. Yoo (1997) ArticleTitleThe Judicial Safeguards of Federalism Southern California Law Review 70 1311–1405

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jenna Bednar.

Additional information

JEL classification: H110, H770, P160

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bednar, J. Federalism as a Public Good. Constit Polit Econ 16, 189–205 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10602-005-2235-5

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10602-005-2235-5

Key words

Navigation