Internal Markets and Multi-level Governance: The Experience of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States

Nearly half the world’s people live in countries with federal systems of government. A common ambition of such federations - and, indeed, often a key factor in their origins - has been to create integrated internal markets capable of generating higher levels of economic growth and prosperity. Yet despite the importance of such developments, there has never been a broad comparative study of how internal markets have been managed within federal or multi-level systems.Internal Markets and Multi-level Governance breaks new ground in providing just such a study. George Anderson, long-time president and now president emeritus of the Forum of Federations, has assembled a team of leading experts on the politics and economics of federal systems and set them the task of analyzing the management of internal markets in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland, as well as the European Union. Though similar economic and political factors often play a role in driving the development of internal markets, outcomes and experiences vary widely depending on individual political and economic circumstances. In the concluding chapter, Anderson attempts to draw some comparative conclusions and highlight potential lessons for policymakers.