Reflections on Comparing Federalisms: Canada and the United States

This article illustrates the challenges involved in preparing a systematic comparison of two federal countries. It examines questions as to what explains similarities and differences in federal systems. It rejects any single-variable approach to explaining federalism but gives primacy to ideas and t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Publius 2010-07, Vol.40 (3), p.357-365
Main Authors: Simeon, Richard, Radin, Beryl A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Canada
Comparative analysis
Comparative politics
Difference
Federal government
Federalism
Government
Government initiatives
Institutions
Legacies
Legislatures
Meritocracy
Parliamentary system
Political debate
Political freedom
Political parties
Political power
Political systems
State structure
Territories
U.S.A
United States of America
Variance
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Summary:This article illustrates the challenges involved in preparing a systematic comparison of two federal countries. It examines questions as to what explains similarities and differences in federal systems. It rejects any single-variable approach to explaining federalism but gives primacy to ideas and to institutions. While there are fundamental differences in founding ideas and historical legacies, there are major similarities between these two federations. We conclude this analysis by underlining the value of comparison. Comparison helps clarify explanations for both variation and similarity, corrects misconceived perceptions of differences, and suggests areas of learning from one another.
ISSN:0048-5950
1747-7107
DOI:10.1093/publius/pjq008