Why regions matter: small worlds in comparative perspective.

Bringing together experts on regionalism and federalism this collection explores the impact of legislative regions on parties and voters. It reflects on the 1980 publication of Small Worlds by David Elkins and Richard Simeon, which outlined how and why voters and policies differ across Canadian provinces. Using recent data, the essays in this collection provide a comparative re-examination of the impact of regions.

The book explores attitude divergence in Canada and in the US, the role and impact of regional parties in Quebec, Scotland and Bavaria, the impact of multi-level governance on how citizens understand and discharge their duties and the capacity of sub-state political systems to influence general political attitudes. The result is an empirical and analytical contribution to regionalism and federalism studies that demonstrates how and why regions matter.

This book was published as a special issue of Regional and Federal Studies.

Contents:

1. Why Regions Matter: Sub-state Polities in Comparative Perspective Ailsa Henderson
2. Regional Heterogeneity and Policy Preferences in Canada: 1979-2006 Cameron Anderson
3. Small Worlds as Predictors of General Political Attitudes Ailsa Henderson
4. The Space Between Worlds: Federalism, Public Issues and Election Issues Fred Cutler
5. Regional Subcultures and Mass Preferences regarding Candidate Traits in the United States Christopher J. Carman and David C. Barker
6. Small Worlds in Canada and Europe: A Comparison of Regional Party Systems in Quebec, Bavaria and Scotland Eve Hepburn
7. Postscript: Many Small Worlds Richard Simeon