Asymmetric Federalism Workshop Concludes Successfully in Santiago de Compostela

Over two days (5–6 November), the Asymmetric Federalism Workshop – The Perils and Advantages of Asymmetric Decentralization brought together leading international scholars and experts at the Consello Económico e Social de Galicia (CES) to discuss the challenges and opportunities of asymmetric decentralization in contemporary governance systems.

Organized by IDEAGOV and the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), in collaboration with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Georgia State University, the event was an international forum for the comparative study of federalism, regional autonomy, and multilevel governance.

The opening session featured institutional remarks from Antonio López-Díaz (Rector, USC), Ignacio Lago (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Agnese Sacchi (University of Urbino Carlo Bo), Jorge Martínez-Vázquez (Georgia State University), and Santiago Lago-Peñas (USC), who underscored the importance of academic dialogue and international collaboration in understanding decentralization processes and their political and economic implications.

Across its sessions, researchers from universities in Europe, the Americas, and Africa examined asymmetric decentralization from diverse theoretical and empirical perspectives, addressing:

• The factors driving asymmetry in governance systems.

• The political effects on public goods provision and accountability.

• The relationship between territorial inequality and fiscal design.

• The link between regional autonomy and economic performance.

• Comparative case studies from France, Italy, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

  
  

The discussions highlighted both the diversity of institutional models and the complex challenges of managing territorial heterogeneity in modern democracies. Participants emphasized that asymmetries can serve as effective mechanisms for accommodating cultural and economic differences, but also as potential sources of fiscal and political tension.

During the closing session, organizers reaffirmed the importance of continued comparative research on federalism and multilevel governance. In sum, the Asymmetric Federalism Workshop established itself as a high-level academic forum fostering rigorous dialogue and collaboration, contributing to a deeper understanding of how asymmetric decentralization shapes the governance of modern states.