ABSTRACT
This book aims to do two things, one substantive and one theoretical. The first objective is to contribute to the comparative federalism literature by analyzing the patterns of change and continuity in five federal systems of the industrial West. This will be done by an in-depth empirical examination of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany and Switzerland through a single framework of analysis. There is much to be learned about federalism by studying these five cases together. In addition to the study of federalism, the book seeks to contribute to the theoretical debate in comparative politics in general. Here the aim is to show the shortcomings of new institutionalist approaches in explaining change, and to highlight the usefulness of society-based approaches in studying change and continuity in comparative politics.
