This book examines the relationship between central government and local institutions, taking Italy to present a comparative perspective on how the Italian experience has influenced the global developments of federal and regional states.

Erika Arban is Postdoctoral Fellow at Melbourne Law School, Laureate Program in Comparative Constitutional Law, and Lecturer in Comparative Federalism at the University of Antwerp.

Giuseppe Martinico is Professor of Comparative Public Law at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa.

Francesco Palermo is Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Verona and Director of the Institute for Comparative Federalism at Eurac Research in Bolzano/Bozen.

Introduction: why is the trajectory of Italian regionalism comparatively important and what does it have to offer?

Part I: Federalism and regionalism: the Italian context

1. An intellecual history of Italian regionalism

2. The new "form of government" in the reforms of the Italian regional system

3. Federalism and regionalism in constitutional adjudication

4. Intergovernmental relationships in Italy: a feeble but useful model

5. Financial relations in the Italian regional system

6. Party systems in the Italian regions

Part II: Italy's major contributions to the global discussion: Italian regionalism in the global debate

7. The Italian regions in the European Union: story of an unaccomplished relationship

8. Asymmetries in the Italian regional system and their role model

9. Local governments and metropolitan cities: the Italian experience and its comparative relevance

10. Loyal cooperation: systemic principle of Italy's regionalism?

11. Federalism, regionalism, and the principle of subsidiarity

Concluding remarks: Regionalism: Italian lessons offered to complex states seeking legitimate and effective governance while being reluctant to federalism