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Federalism without Adjectives in Spain

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  • Gemma Sala

Abstract

Is Spain a federal system? Most experts do not give a straight answer and define the system with adjectives. They tend to underline how it differs from other federations, rather than focusing on what they have in common. This article presents Spain as a fully fledged federation, analyzes the process of political decentralization (1978--2010) to explore the ways it is constitutionally entrenched, and confronts the arguments of its critics. I argue that some of its idiosyncratic institutions are precisely what turn the Estado de las Autonomías into a federal system. A clarification about what makes Spain a federation is needed to prevent future reforms from turning it into what it already is, rather than effectively improving its functioning, and to dissipate the kind of Spanish exceptionalism that makes this case seldom considered in comparative studies. Copyright 2014, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Gemma Sala, 2014. "Federalism without Adjectives in Spain," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 44(1), pages 109-134, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:publus:v:44:y:2014:i:1:p:109-134
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/publius/pjt010
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    Cited by:

    1. Gemma Sala, 2014. "Can Courts Make Federalism Work? A Game Theory Approach to Court-Induced Compliance and Defection in Federal Systems," Economies, MDPI, vol. 2(4), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Diana Gutiérrez Posada & Fernando Rubiera Morollón & Ana Viñuela, 2018. "Ageing Places in an Ageing Country: The Local Dynamics of the Elderly Population in Spain," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 109(3), pages 332-349, July.
    3. Greer, Scott L. & Dubin, Kenneth A. & Falkenbach, Michelle & Jarman, Holly & Trump, Benjamin D., 2023. "Alignment and authority: Federalism, social policy, and COVID-19 response," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 12-18.

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