The division of powers inherent in federal political systems complicates the effect of external pressures on the nation-state and also has the potential of complicating the response to these pressures. This study investigates the impact of global and regional integration on seven of the world's great federations - the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, India, and South Africa - and the European Union.

Contributors to this volume are among the leading scholars of federalism in their respective countries and include Richard Simeon (University of Toronto), John Kincaid (Lafayette College), Brian Galligan (University of Melbourne), Rudolf Hrbek (University of Tübingen), Liesbet Hooghe (University of North Carolina), Nico Steytler (University of Western Cape), and M.P. Singh (University of Delhi).