Constitutional policy in multilevel government the art of keeping the balance

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-263) and index.

Introduction -- Theoretical framework and research design -- Constitutional problems and reform agendas in federal and regionalized states / (with Andrea Fischer-Hotzel and Bettina Petersohn) -- Patterns of constitutional policy in multilevel government : case studies / (with Dominic Heinz, Eike-Christian Hornig, Andrea Fischer-Hotzel, and Bettina Petersohn) -- Ratification and ratification failure : the impact of amendment rules / (with Jörg Kemmerzell and Bettin Petersohn) -- Constitutional reform and implicit change -- Explaining success and failure of constitutional policy -- Conclusions.

Constitutional Policy in Multilevel Government compares processes of constitutional reform in federal and regionalized states. Based on a theoretical framework emphasizing the relevance of negotiations in parliamentary, intergovernmental, and societal arenas, it identifies conditions for successful reforms and explains the consequences of failed reforms. Moreover, it highlights the interplay of reform processes and constitutional evolution as essential to maintaining a robust balance of power. The book demonstrates that an appropriate arrangement of multiple arenas of negotiation including executives, members of parliament and civil society organizations, and sequential order of reform processes proves fundamental to prevent federal or regionalized governments from becoming either instable or ending with rigid constitutions.