Authoritarianism, democracy and de/centralization in federations: what connections?

Dardanelli, Paolo; Kincaid, John; Adeney, Katherine; Moscovich, Lorena; Olmeda, Juan Cruz; Schlegel, Rogerio; uberu, Rotimi; Boni, Filippo; Lacroix Eussler, Santiago

Abstract

What is the impact of democracy/authoritarianism regime change on de/centralization in federations? Based on the annual coding of three politico-institutional aspects, 22 policy fields, and five fiscal categories, this article maps de/centralization in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan from the establishment of their respective federal orders to 2020. It shows that de/centralization varies greatly across its different dimensions as well as between systems, with centralization being the dominant long-term trend but with significant exceptions, notably Pakistan. Regime change plays a major role in de/centralization but not always in line with the usual expectation that authoritarian regimes centralize and democratic ones decentralize. Other factors that cut across the authoritarianism/democracy divide, notably ideological orientations, have substantial impacts on de/centralization. By investigating long-run patterns of de/centralization in federations that have experienced democracy/authoritarianism regime change, the article sheds light on how federalism operates beyond consolidated democracies.

Citation

Dardanelli, P., Kincaid, J., Adeney, K., Moscovich, L., Olmeda, J. C., Schlegel, R., …Lacroix Eussler, S. (2023). Authoritarianism, democracy and de/centralization in federations: what connections?. Regional and Federal Studies, 33(5), 577-606. https://doi.org/10.1080/13597566.2023.2274861

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 19, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Oct 26, 2023
• Publication Date: Oct 26, 2023
• Deposit Date: Mar 18, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 26, 2024
• Journal: Regional and Federal Studies
• Print ISSN: 1359-7566
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-9434
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 577-606
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13597566.2023.2274861
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/26525870
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13597566.2023.2274861