Building a Successful Fiscal Federation
Constitutional Lessons for the EU
Will be published approx. on 19. February 2026
Book
Hardback
528 pages
978-1-5099-8865-5 (ISBN)
Description
This open access book analyses the fiscal constitutions of developed, democratic Western federations that can offer a model for a future EU fiscal federalism.
The 2009-18 sovereign debt crisis revealed the urgency to overhaul the fiscal architecture of the EU to protect the Eurozone. In the book, national experts analyse the fiscal architecture of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA as key examples of federated entities that exercise autonomy in fiscal matters. Throughout their histories, these federations have faced political clashes between centre and periphery or among sub-federal entities which are reminiscent of current conflicts in the EU. Moreover, in times of crisis such as wars, the COVID-19 pandemic, or asymmetric economic shocks, their fiscal systems have been put under stress in comparable ways to the EU.
An interdisciplinary team of lawyers, political scientists, and economists uses the analysis of the sample federal states to provide concrete reform suggestions applicable to the EU. Thus, the book offers food for thought for researchers and advanced students, as well as for practitioners in the areas of administration and politics, to make the EU fiscal architecture more resilient in the face of future crises.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.
The 2009-18 sovereign debt crisis revealed the urgency to overhaul the fiscal architecture of the EU to protect the Eurozone. In the book, national experts analyse the fiscal architecture of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA as key examples of federated entities that exercise autonomy in fiscal matters. Throughout their histories, these federations have faced political clashes between centre and periphery or among sub-federal entities which are reminiscent of current conflicts in the EU. Moreover, in times of crisis such as wars, the COVID-19 pandemic, or asymmetric economic shocks, their fiscal systems have been put under stress in comparable ways to the EU.
An interdisciplinary team of lawyers, political scientists, and economists uses the analysis of the sample federal states to provide concrete reform suggestions applicable to the EU. Thus, the book offers food for thought for researchers and advanced students, as well as for practitioners in the areas of administration and politics, to make the EU fiscal architecture more resilient in the face of future crises.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
975 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5099-8865-5 (9781509988655)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Stefan Griller is Professor of European Law and Research Fellow at the Institute for European and International Law, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria.
Florian Huber is Professor of Economics at the University of Salzburg, Austria.
Sonja Puntscher Riekmann is Research Fellow at the Salzburg Centre of EU Studies - SCEUS, Austria.
Florian Huber is Professor of Economics at the University of Salzburg, Austria.
Sonja Puntscher Riekmann is Research Fellow at the Salzburg Centre of EU Studies - SCEUS, Austria.
Content
Introduction, Corinna Dornacher (University of Passau, Germany), Stefan Griller (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Florian Huber (University of Salzburg, Austria), Sonja Puntscher Riekmann (SCEUS, Austria), and Ivana Skazlic (Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Austria)
Part I: Fiscal Federalism in a Wider World
1. Australia, Nicholas Aroney (Curtin University, Australia) and Alan Fenna (Curtin University, Australia)
2. Canada, Andre Lecours (University of Ottawa, Canada), Daniel Beland (McGill University, Canada), Vanessa MacDonnell (University of Ottawa, Canada), Peter Oliver (University of Ottowa, Canada), and Trevor Tombe (University of Calgary, Canada)
3. Switzerland, Sean Mueller (University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
4. United States of America, Jonathan Rodden (Stanford University, USA)
Part II: Fiscal Federalism in EU Member States
5. Austria, Franz Fallend (University of Salzburg, Austria), Rainer Palmstorfer (University of Linz, Austria), and Hannes Winner (University of Salzburg, Austria)
6. Belgium, Willem Sas (University of Stirling, UK), Damien Piron (University of Liege, Belgium), Andre Decoster (Catholic University Leuven, Belgium), and Patricia Popelier (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
7. Germany, Natalie Behnke (Technical University Darmstadt, Germany), Christian Bender (University of Leipzig (Germany), Mario Hesse (University of Leipzig, Germany), Simon Kempny (University of Bielefeld, Germany), Fabio Lennard Botta (University of Leipzig, Germany), Thomas Lenk (University of Leipzig, Germany), and Sebastian Plesdonat (University of Bielefeld, Germany)
Part III: Fiscal Federalism in the EU?
8. Analysis of the Existing EU System: Is This a Fiscal Federal System? Corinna Dornacher (University of Passau, Germany), Stefan Griller (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Florian Huber (University of Salzburg, Austria), Sonja Puntscher Riekmann (SCEUS, Austria), and Ivana Skazlic (Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Austria)
9. Lessons to be Learnt from Our Model Fiscal Federations, Corinna Dornacher (University of Passau, Germany), Stefan Griller (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Florian Huber (University of Salzburg, Austria), Sonja Puntscher Riekmann (SCEUS, Austria), and Ivana Skazlic (Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Austria)
Part IV: Conclusion: Political Choices Based on Principled Reflection
Corinna Dornacher (University of Passau, Germany), Stefan Griller (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Florian Huber (University of Salzburg, Austria), Sonja Puntscher Riekmann (SCEUS, Austria), and Ivana Skazlic (Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Austria)
Part I: Fiscal Federalism in a Wider World
1. Australia, Nicholas Aroney (Curtin University, Australia) and Alan Fenna (Curtin University, Australia)
2. Canada, Andre Lecours (University of Ottawa, Canada), Daniel Beland (McGill University, Canada), Vanessa MacDonnell (University of Ottawa, Canada), Peter Oliver (University of Ottowa, Canada), and Trevor Tombe (University of Calgary, Canada)
3. Switzerland, Sean Mueller (University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
4. United States of America, Jonathan Rodden (Stanford University, USA)
Part II: Fiscal Federalism in EU Member States
5. Austria, Franz Fallend (University of Salzburg, Austria), Rainer Palmstorfer (University of Linz, Austria), and Hannes Winner (University of Salzburg, Austria)
6. Belgium, Willem Sas (University of Stirling, UK), Damien Piron (University of Liege, Belgium), Andre Decoster (Catholic University Leuven, Belgium), and Patricia Popelier (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
7. Germany, Natalie Behnke (Technical University Darmstadt, Germany), Christian Bender (University of Leipzig (Germany), Mario Hesse (University of Leipzig, Germany), Simon Kempny (University of Bielefeld, Germany), Fabio Lennard Botta (University of Leipzig, Germany), Thomas Lenk (University of Leipzig, Germany), and Sebastian Plesdonat (University of Bielefeld, Germany)
Part III: Fiscal Federalism in the EU?
8. Analysis of the Existing EU System: Is This a Fiscal Federal System? Corinna Dornacher (University of Passau, Germany), Stefan Griller (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Florian Huber (University of Salzburg, Austria), Sonja Puntscher Riekmann (SCEUS, Austria), and Ivana Skazlic (Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Austria)
9. Lessons to be Learnt from Our Model Fiscal Federations, Corinna Dornacher (University of Passau, Germany), Stefan Griller (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Florian Huber (University of Salzburg, Austria), Sonja Puntscher Riekmann (SCEUS, Austria), and Ivana Skazlic (Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Austria)
Part IV: Conclusion: Political Choices Based on Principled Reflection
Corinna Dornacher (University of Passau, Germany), Stefan Griller (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria), Florian Huber (University of Salzburg, Austria), Sonja Puntscher Riekmann (SCEUS, Austria), and Ivana Skazlic (Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Austria)