[1] Comparative studies cover the most important aspects of federalism, i.e. theory, institutions, constitutions including constitutional laws, foundations, establishment and organization of federal systems, functions or a system of relations between administrative structures at various levels and financial issues, for example, the distribution of tax revenues and expenditures.
If federalism is a general category of government, then there are limits to what one case can tell us about it and to what one can learn about the applicability of federal-type arrangements to political challenges.
Comparative federalism sheds light on the characteristics of any given scenario, both typical and unusual, and offers suggestions for alternative approaches.
[6] A thorough description of a specific case and its process tracing can serve as a solid foundation for a causal explanation, but comparative federalism provides an external confirmation, which is typically viewed as very desirable.
This research brought in findings from comparative federalism and depicted the European Union as a unique (quasi-federal) system characterized by a distinctive interconnection among multiple levels of governance.
[11] At the same time, research on multi-level governance rekindled interest in subnational units, departments and urban areas.