Transcript IACFS - Forum of Federations

International Association of
Centres for Federal Studies
(iacfs)
An Introduction
Prepared by
John Kincaid
Past IACFS President
Robert B. & Helen S. Meyner
Center for the Study of State and Local Government
Lafayette College
2. Federal Countries
3. IACFS
Association of centers and institutes around
the world conducting
Independent research, teaching, and
consultations on
Political
Constitutional and legal
Administrative
Fiscal and economic
Historical and philosophic
Issues of federal political systems
4. History
The IACFS was established on
21 June 1977
in Basel, Switzerland
5. Principal Purpose
Advance the study and understanding of
federal principles and patterns in all their
variety.
6. IACFS Goals
Exchange ideas and information through
Annual Conference
Publications
Newsletter
Translations
Faculty and student exchanges
7. IACFS Goals
Stimulate and sponsor research on theories
and practices of federalism
Conduct education activities to promote
public awareness of federal ideas
Encourage formation of centers for federal
studies
Expand federal studies among academic
communities worldwide
8. Annual Meeting
Most important is the annual meeting of the
directors of the member centers to
Present research papers
Share federal-country reports
Exchange views
Oversee ongoing projects and programs
Report on member centers’ activities
9. Annual Meeting
Each annual meeting is hosted by a
member center,
Which pays the ground costs (e.g., hotel
and meals) for up to two
representatives from each member
center
10. IACFS Officers
 President: Professor Cheryl Saunders, University of
Melbourne, Australia
 Vice President: Professor Nico Steytler, University of
the Western Cape, South Africa
 Vice President: Enric Fossas, Institut de Ciencies
Politiques I Socials, Spain
 Secretary-Treasurer: Professor G. Alan Tarr, Rutgers
University-Camden, United States
 Past President: Professor John Kincaid, Lafayette
College, United States
11. Membership Criteria
Scholarly study of federalism must be the
major purpose of a member center
Center must be independent of any political
or government agency
Center must select, study, publish, and
disseminate its research independently
Center must have record of on-going work,
especially research publications
12. Secondary Membership
Criteria
Record of education activities
Record of advising governments and others
Readiness to participate in the work of the
IACFS, contribute to conferences, host
meetings, and pay annual dues of $100 U.S.
each year
13. Global Dialogue on
Federalism
A joint IACFS program with the Forum of
Federations to
Promote comparative dialogue about core themes
of federalism
Exchange knowledge and ideas among
practitioners and scholars
Disseminate publications and other resources
about federalism
14. Global Dialogue Books
 John Kincaid and G. Alan Tarr, eds., Constitutional Origins, Structure,
and Change in Federal Countries. Montreal & Kingston: McGillQueen’s University Press, 2005, 467 pp.
 Akhtar Majeed, Ronald L. Watts, and Douglas M. Brown, eds.,
Distribution of Powers and Responsibilities in Federal Countries.
Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2006, 373 pp.
 Katy Le Roy and Cheryl Saunders, eds., Legislative Executive and
Judicial Governance in Federal Countries. Montreal & Kingston:
McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2006, 403 pp.
 Anwar Shah, ed., The Practice of Fiscal Federalism: Comparative
Perspectives. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press,
2007, 438 pp.
15. Forthcoming Global
Dialogue Books
Federalism and Foreign Relations
Local Governments and Metropolitan Areas in
Federal Countries
Unity and Diversity in Federal Countries
Intergovernmental Relations in Federal
Systems
16. iacfs
member organizations
2008 - 2009
17. iacfs members
ARGENTINA
Institute of Federalism (Córdoba)
AUSTRALIA
Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies (Melbourne)
AUSTRIA
Institute for Research on Federalism (Innsbruck)
BRAZIL
Instituto Pimenta Bueno (Sao Paulo)
CANADA
Institute for Public Economics (Alberta)
Institute of Intergovernmental Relations (Ontario)
FRANCE
International Centre for European Studies (Nice)
18. iacfs members
GERMANY
European Centre for Research on Federalism (Tübingen)
German Institute for Federal Studies (Hannover)
German Research Institute for Public Administration (Speyer)
INDIA
Centre for Federal Studies (New Delhi)
ITALY
Associazione Osservatorio sul Federalismo e I Processi Di Governo (Rome)
Inter-University Center for Regional and Local Finance (Ferrara)
Instituto de Studi suis Sistemi Regionali Federali (Rome)
NIGERIA
Institute of Governance and Social Research (Jos)
RUSSIA
Siberian International Centre for Regional Studies (Novosibirsk)
19. iacfs members
SOUTH AFRICA
Community Law Centre (Bellville)
SPAIN
Institute for Political and Social Science (Barcelona)
Institute for Autonomous Studies (Barcelona)
SWITZERLAND
Institute of Federalism (Fribourg)
UNITED KINGDOM
The Centre for Federal Studies (Kent)
The Constitution Unit (London)
UNITED STATES
Center for State Constitutional Studies (New Jersey)
Center for the Study of Federalism (Pennsylvania)
Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis (Indiana)