“Federally Trapped”? Comparing and Contrasting Local Government in Federal Systems

‘What is the place of local government in federal studies?’ This is the question that this chapter addresses. The fact that local government has its own place within federal arrangements is a predicament to which every federal scholar might wish to subscribe. What this ‘place’ implies, however, is an aspect that still needs to be adequately explored. Although local government has been integrated into the umbrella of federal studies in more recent years, its investigation within federal settings is still considered an anomaly in many respects. To put it differently, what this ‘collocation’ implies for federal systems is not as clear as one might expect. Consequently, this chapter explores these issues from an innovative angle with a focus on powers, territory, and money, i.e. the elements that can be ascribed to the foundations of local government in federal systems.