The new democratic federalism for Europe. Functional, Overlapping and Competing Jurisdictions

The new democratic federalism for Europe. Functional, Overlapping and Competing Jurisdictions:

This innovative book proposes a new institutional arrangement for government to fulfil the needs of its citizens as well as possible. The authors propose a new model of federalism which includes new types of governmental units established by citizens from below. These units are called functional, overlapping and competing jurisdictions as they extend over task-specific areas and therefore overlap. They also provide competitive governance via direct and representative democratic institutions, and as jurisdictions they have independent power over taxation policy. The new model is cited as being more responsive to citizens' preferences and adjusts more dynamically to provide public services efficiently. The authors suggest that this new system should be allowed to develop in Europe to safeguard diversity and ensure that decentralization emerges effectively. It would also allow for the flexible integration of East European transition economies into the European Union and may also combine with traditional modes of government in developing countries.

The book is aimed at economists, political scientist and sociologists interested in the future of the European Union, those studying federal systems of government and those interested in the prospects for improving democratic institutions throughout the world. Bruno S Frey is Professor of Economics at the University of Zurich and Reiner Eichenberger is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.