The Centralization of Australian Federalism 1901–2010: Measurement and Interpretation

Boundary-spanning in public value co-creation through the lens of multilevel governance

“…However, multitiered systems face peculiar challenges in value co-creation given their fragmented geographies and highly complex vertical structures (Fenna 2019;Fossum 2017;Beland and Lecours 2016). The institutional environment in the United States, Canada and Australia, for instance, is often more dispersed, heterogeneous, unstable and complex than unitary systems.…”

“…However, their empirical focus on local public service partnerships in the UK leaves much room for elucidating vertical flows in multitiered systems. Federal systems, for instance, often consist of large geographies with profoundly fragmented layers and loci of policy subsystems (Bakvis, Brown, and Baier 2019;Fenna 2019;Brock 2018;Fabbrini 2017;Fossum 2017;Beland and Lecours 2016). The aim of this paper, therefore, is to shed light on boundary spanning processes in multitiered systems.…”

Federalism, Intergovernmental Relationships, and Emergency Response: A Comparison of Australia and the United States

“…COVID-19 Coronavirus Tracker-updated as of May 15-The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/factsheet/coronavirus-tracker/). (Fenna, 2019;Galligan, 1987). This fiscal power has resulted in a distorted vertical fiscal imbalance (Fenna, 2008) that very much resembles coercive federalism (Kincaid, 1990).…”

“…This intergovernmental forum is designed to facilitate vertical connections between the Commonwealth and state and territorial governments; it has not provided a horizontal basis for states to coordinate and communicate their own priorities. The Commonwealth’s dominance of the federal–state relationship has grown out of broad interpretation of key enumerated powers that have facilitated control over taxation and spending (Fenna, 2019; Galligan, 1987). This fiscal power has resulted in a distorted vertical fiscal imbalance (Fenna, 2008) that very much resembles coercive federalism (Kincaid, 1990).…”

Studying Labor Governments in the Australian States: Theory and Method

“…Like many federations, though, Australia has experienced a considerable centralisation over its history and the states today are now constrained in many ways. 50 Most importantly for questions about the identity and impact of Labor at the State level has been the twentieth-century transformation in responsibilities whereby the redistributive social welfare role in federal systems has been assumed by central governments, leaving constituent units with a more focused concern with service provision and local economic development. 51 A consequence is that some of the classic indicators of whether a government is left or right, such as size of government or welfare expenditure, provide little or no traction for analysing state Labor.…”