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Canadian Political Science Association2024 Annual Conference Programme
Approaches, Knowledges, and Methods
for the World of Tomorrow
Hosted at McGill University
June 12 to June 14, 20242024 Annual Conference Programme
Approaches, Knowledges, and Methods
for the World of Tomorrow
Hosted at McGill University
June 12 to June 14, 2024
Provincial and Territorial Politics in Canada and Beyond
J04(a) - Roundtable: The Future of Federalism in a Changing World
Date: Jun 12 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location: 680 Sherbrooke St. West 451
Chair/Président/Présidente : Alain-G. Gagnon (UQAM)
Jan Erk (Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique, Morocco)Wilfried Swenden (The University of Edinburgh)
Marie-Joelle Zahar (Université de Montréal)
Yonatan Fessha (The University of the Western Cape, South Africa)
Alan Fenna (Curtin University, Australia)
Abstract: This roundtable brings together six scholars of comparative federalism with research interests covering the world. Chaired by one of Canada’s leading federalism scholars, Alain-G. Gagnon, the roundtable will discuss the future of federalism in the midst of unpredictable geopolitical changes. The five participants of the roundtable have wide-ranging research interests covering various facets of federalism in different parts of the world and have all been involved in both its scholarly and applied side. They all serve as editors or members of editorial boards of the field’s prominent journals. Yonatan Fessha brings in comparative reflections from the African continent with particular emphasis on the continent’s three big federations, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Jan Erk addresses how the applied side of federalism will be affected from the fraying post-Cold War consensus around liberal democratic principles. His focus is on the future of federal solution in post-conflict settings, in particular, in South Sudan and Somalia. Wilfried Swenden covers both Western Europe and Southeast Asia in his observations on the state of the literature and emerging new theoretical approaches. Alan Fenna’s contributions to the roundtable highlights the relationship between federalism and public policy in Australia and beyond, and the hurdles that await us. Marie-Joelle Zahar shares her insights into the applied side of federalism in post-conflict settings contrasting her experiences on the field with the teachings of federalism studies. What all participants share is their knowledge of Canadian federalism and the attending challenges, which will serve as the common reference point during discussions.