Dr Soeren Keil and Delilah von Streng from the Institute of Federalism have participated in a workshop organised by the German Association of Political Science in Aachen, Germany and presented their project proposal looking into the linkages between federal arrangements and regional economic development. The project aims to investigate whether the frequently made claim according to which autonomy of the subnational regions (like the cantons in Switzerland) enhances their economic growth stands up to scrutiny or needs to be revised. Together with local partners, the project seeks to look into the cases of four young post-conflict federations – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Iraq and Nepal – analyse the available data and identify how specific federal arrangements impact on economic development of subnational units.

The workshop with fellow German, Austrian and Swiss federalism researchers took place on 24 and 25 February 2023 and provided interesting discussions and helpful feedback. It was rounded off by a visit to the Parliament of the German Community in Eupen, Belgium.