Régionalisme & Fédéralisme / Regionalism & Federalism

The contemporary nation-state is undergoing a series of transformations which question its traditional role as a container of social, political and economic systems. New spaces are emerging with the rise of regional production systems, movements for territorial autonomy and the rediscovery of old and the invention of new identities. States have responded by restructuring their systems of territorial government, often setting up an intermediate or regional level. There is no single model, but a range, from administrative deconcentration to federalization. Some states have regionalized in a uniform manner, while others have adopted asymmetrical solutions. In many cases, regions have gone beyond the nation-state, seeking to become actors in broader continental and transnational systems.
The series covers the gamut of issues involved in this territorial restructuring, including the rise of regional production systems, political regionalism, questions of identity, and constitutional change. It will include the emergence of new systems of territorial regulation and collective action within civil society as well as the state. There is no a priori definition of what constitutes a region, since these span a range of spatial scales, from metropolitan regions to large federated states, and from administrative units to cultural regions and stateless nations. Disciplines covered include history, sociology, social and political geography, political science and law. Interdisciplinary approaches are particularly welcome. In addition to empirical and comparative studies, books focus on the theory of regionalism and federalism, including normative questions about democracy and accountability in complex systems of government.



L’État-nation contemporain a subi une série de transformations qui remettent en cause son rôle traditionnel de cadre pour les systèmes sociaux, politiques et économiques. Des nouveaux espaces ont émergé avec la mise en place de systèmes de production régionaux, le développement des mouvements pour l’autonomie territoriale et la redécouverte des anciennes identités aussi bien que l’invention de nouvelles. Les États ont répondu à ces mutations par la restructuration de leurs systèmes de gouvernement territoriaux, le plus souvent par l’instauration d’un niveau intermédiaire ou régional. Il n’y a pas de modèle unique mais bien une gamme allant de la décentralisation administrative à la fédéralisation. Certains États se sont régionalisés de manière uniforme, tandis que d’autres ont adopté des solutions asymétriques. Dans plusieurs cas, les régions ont dépassé le cadre des États-nations, cherchant à devenir des acteurs au sein des systèmes continentaux et transnationaux.
La collection s’intéresse à toute étude concernant cette restructuration territoriale, incluant le développement des systèmes de production régionaux, le régionalisme politique, les questions d’identité et les changements constitutionnels. Elle prend également en compte l’émergence de nouveaux systèmes de régulation territoriale et l’action collective au niveau de la société civile aussi bien que de l’État. Il n’y a pas de définition a priori de ce qui constitue une région, celle-ci pouvant embrasser un éventail de niveaux territoriaux, des régions métropolitaines aux grands États fédérés et des unités administratives aux régions culturelles et aux nations-sans-État.
La collection comprend des études dans des disciplines variées telles que l’histoire, la sociologie, la géographie sociale et politique, la science politique et le droit. Les approches interdisciplinaires sont particulièrement bienvenues. Enfin, parallèlement aux études empiriques et comparatives, certains ouvrages s’intéressent à la théorie du régionalisme et du fédéralisme, incluant des questions normatives sur la démocratie et la responsabilité dans les systèmes complexes de gouvernement.



The contemporary nation-state is undergoing a series of transformations which question its traditional role as a container of social, political and economic systems. New spaces are emerging with the rise of regional production systems, movements for territorial autonomy and the rediscovery of old and the invention of new identities. States have responded by restructuring their systems of territorial government, often setting up an intermediate or regional level. There is no single model, but a range, from administrative deconcentration to federalization. Some states have regionalized in a uniform manner, while others have adopted asymmetrical solutions. In many cases, regions have gone beyond the nation-state, seeking to become actors in broader continental and transnational systems.
The series covers the gamut of issues involved in this territorial restructuring, including the rise of regional production systems, political regionalism, questions of identity, and constitutional change. It will include the emergence of new systems of territorial regulation and collective action within civil society as well as the state. There is no a priori definition of what constitutes a region, since these span a range of spatial scales, from metropolitan regions to large federated states, and from administrative units to cultural regions and stateless nations. Disciplines covered include history, sociology, social and political geography, political science and law. Interdisciplinary approaches are particularly welcome. In addition to empirical and comparative studies, books focus on the theory of regionalism and federalism, including normative questions about democracy and accountability in complex systems of government.