Local governments are becoming increasingly important around the world and functions are being shifted across levels of government. This timely comparative analysis breaks new ground in the study of multilevel governance, intergovernmental relations, and municipal government. Spheres of Governance systematically compares the challenges faced by municipalities in Australia, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States, with emphasis on the relationship between the municipal and federal levels. Each chapter analyzes a municipality in relation to its...

Local governments are becoming increasingly important around the world and functions are being shifted across levels of government. This timely comparative analysis breaks new ground in the study of multilevel governance, intergovernmental relations, and municipal government. Spheres of Governance systematically compares the challenges faced by municipalities in Australia, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States, with emphasis on the relationship between the municipal and federal levels. Each chapter analyzes a municipality in relation to its...

Suggestions for effective participation and peacekeeping from countries that aren't superpowers.

European armed forces are confronted with increasing recruitment and retention challenges as governments shift from compulsory service to all-volunteer forces, unprecedented population aging notwithstanding. This volume compares human-resource developments in both old and new NATO members as well as unaligned countries, including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These countries' collective contribution to international stability is not to be underestimated: combined, they field about as many active...

The first section, Celebrating Ron Watts, assesses Ronald Watts' academic contributions to the study of federalism (including comparative federalism) as well as his important role as an advisor to federations across the globe. The second section, The Federal Idea: Concepts, explores different perspectives on federalism, both constitutional and citizen-related, and assesses the successes and failures of the federal idea. The final section, The Federal Idea: Practice, addresses a range of policies and practices in individual federations. In addition to case studies, the contributors deal with...

Old sergeants say, "we're here to defend democracy, not to practice it!" But are they right? The special mandate with which defence and security organizations are tasked imposes unique constraints with respect to the accommodation of diversity which differs from those faced by any other public or private organization. Yet, the compound effect of demographic, political, economic, social and legal pressures is making diversity as inevitable in the defence and security sector as in any other organization in advanced industrialized democracies. Owing in part to a dearth of research on the way the...