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Accountability Payoffs in Federal Systems: Competing Logics and Evidence from Europe's Newest Federation

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  • William M. Downs

Abstract

Accountability has gained considerable currency in discourse on democratic representation, especially for heterogeneous societies having multilevel governance. Because federalism endows political systems with a range of institutional mechanisms for incorporating regional identities, building consensus, and protecting minority interests, a frequent contention is that it enhances democratic accountability. This article explores the relationship between federalism and accountability on three levels: (1) conceptual distinctions; (2) federation/non-federation comparisons; and (3) comparisons among federal variants. Federal/unitary comparisons reveal the limitations of a narrow interpretation of federalism as constitutionalism, with its presumption of federation as a guarantor of accountability. Comparing across federations, variation in accountability depends as much on the rules-in-use as it does on the constitution-in-form. The difficulties inherent in linking federalism with clear payoffs in terms of institutional and individual accountability are illustrated by developments in Western Europe's newest federation: Belgium. Copyright , Oxford University Press.

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  • William M. Downs, 0. "Accountability Payoffs in Federal Systems: Competing Logics and Evidence from Europe's Newest Federation," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 29(1), pages 87-110.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:publus:v:29:y::i:1:p:87-110
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    Cited by:

    1. Ailsa Henderson & Nicola McEwen, 2015. "Regions as Primary Political Communities: A Multi-Level Comparative Analysis of Turnout in Regional Elections," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 45(2), pages 189-215.

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