Identities, Trust, and Cohesion in Federal Systems: Public Perspectives

Edited by Jack Jedwab and John Kincaid

To what extent do federal systems promote multiple identities and attachments? How do their identities affect the trust that is assigned to various orders of government and contribute to cohesion in federalist systems? Do cohesive federations depend on public trust and strong attachment to the national or central government? Are attachments and identification with the various orders of government in conflict or are they compatible?

Identities, Trust, and Cohesion in Federal Systems offers eight comparative essays that provide key insights into identity debates in federalist countries. The findings are drawn from extensive analyses of public opinion data in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. The editors seek to improve our understanding of how identity, trust, and cohesion correlate with centralized, decentralized, and asymmetrical models of federalism in order to gain insight into the diverse governance challenges that various nations encounter.

Making effective use of empirical data to draw evidence-based conclusions about federalist governance, Identities, Trust, and Cohesion in Federal Systems breaks new ground in public policy studies.