The conditions and potentials of federalizing trade policy: Comparing Canada and the United States


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Date

2023

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

no

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Abstract

Whereas some federations reacted to the expanding international trade agenda by ‘federalizing’ trade policy-making and allowing sub-federal governments a substantial involvement, others did not. Comparing Canada and the United States, this paper investigates the conditions and potentials of federalization on the case of public procurement liberalization. The first section argues that the institutionalization of intergovernmental relations depends on the incontestability of sub-federal claims to authority and the absence of cheaper alternatives. In the US, the availability of federal pre-emption and the possibility to exclude sub-federal competencies from international agreements acted as a brake on state involvement. In Canada, ‘watertight’ provincial competencies and a non-representative second chamber enabled a gradual federalization. The second section argues that federalization holds the potential to increase constituent units’ openness to procurement liberalization. While their deficient involvement has constrained US states’ openness, federalization was instrumental in Canadian provinces’ recently growing openness for international suppliers.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Volume

33 (1)

Pages / Article No.

69 - 90

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Event

Edition / version

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Subject

Trade policy; public procurement; multilevel governance;; Canada; United States

Organisational unit

03714 - Schimmelfennig, Frank / Schimmelfennig, Frank check_circle

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