@jbroschek
Political Science Prof and Laurier Research Chair | Federalism/Multilevel Governance | Political Economy | (Active) Transportation and Infrastructure Policy | Kitchener/Waterloo Region More at https://tinyurl.com/4pzjpykm
What this great thread highlights is *norms*. Rules only stop actors from doing things when the rules are enforceable by an authority with the power to stop you. Norms, on the other hand, are what stop you from doing shit on your own volition, because you believe in the principles undergirding them.
Bei einem britischen mehrheitswahlsystem hätte die CDU eine absolute Mehrheit.
Absolutely. Was on the phone with my mother-in-law yesterday (we're originally from Ulm). It was all about Hagel and Özdemir. Only at some point later all of a sudden Merz came into mix, but rather indirectly related to the Landtagswahl.
Not disputing your impression, but in German federalism Land and federal politics and policy-making are so intertwined that it's impossible to isolate the former from the latter. Infratest Dimap data also suggest that Merz CDU had an impact on voting behavior. In any event, an interesting election.
The Greens are expected to retain the job of leading the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, home to much of Germany's car and engineering industry.
New. Cem Oezdemir is set to be the first ever Ministerpräsident with Turkish origins, 65 years after the first guest workers arrived.
A very bad day for CDU/CSU-SPD governing coalition in Baden-Württemberg elections.
Merz' CDU loses to Greens after year-long polling lead.
SPD at disastrous low of 5.5%.
Expect pressure to increase on both Merz & SPD vice chancellor Klingbeil from within their own parties.
Longue durée analysis is so important.
What the author describes here are (potentially) self-reinforcing feedback effects. The direction of change points to some form of vassal state pathway. Only one, but unfortunately not an entirely unrealistic scenario.
thewalrus.ca/canada-is-al...
For clarification: Cooperative federalism in rhetoric (which we hear a lot) does not mean cooperative federalism in practice, which would require some form of institutionalization and intergovernmental capacity-building.
Screenshot News Release Ontario Government March 4, 2026: Ontario Secures Groundbreaking National Energy Corridor Agreement
I want to be hopeful, but this should be part and parcel of a coherent, encompassing industrial strategy, developed within an institutional framework of cooperative federalism.
Unfortunately, we lack both. A problem for a project of this scope to materialize.
news.ontario.ca/en/release/1...
Still puzzling if/when/to what extent 🇨🇦 can be added to this list or not ("support with regret (?)").
The supposed explosion of the federal public service looks less explosive if you put it in per capita numbers and draw a line graph back to the mid-80s.
My latest op-ed. The fog of war in the age of AI will become thicker. Science fiction has become realist and under the Trumps administration, any potential guardrails are being degraded at warp speed 🧵https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-in-the-age-of-ai-the-fog-of-war-thickens/
Hey look, the European#farright is having another great day out: 'a chance to bask in the success of a kindred party at the peak of its power '
During his first year, he and his parents lived in the house next to ours. (We don't know if he was also born in the house or in hospital). When he was one, they moved into a house one block away, according to the street directory.
This oped is asking the right question, and provides a solid analysis. I’d add that the picture it paints of the consequences of continued uncertainty in Canada-US trade relations will hold even if the USMCA is renegotiated. Because the source of that uncertainty is structural.
After months of wrangling and an epic list of delays, the Commission has finally released its Industrial Accelerator Act.
This could turn into one of the EU’s most consequential industrial policy files in years - and the proposal is honestly not a bad place to start.
Some quick thoughts:
“The issue at the heart of this is whether power is allowed to prevail over the law.”
Scholz’s famous 2022 Zeitenwende speech, endorsed also by Merz. A historical footnote.
Conceptualizing and Measuring Geopolitical Alignments - www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a really helpful @jeffcolgan.bsky.social breakdown of the oil connection to interventions that helps go beyond simplistic "blood for oil" narratives. @goodauth.bsky.social th
On Iran, see the larger context.
Five of the seven countries that the Trump admin has militarily attacked since Jan. 2025 are significant oil producers, even though petrostates are rare.
It's not a coincidence. I explain why @goodauth.bsky.social
goodauthority.org/news/is-oil-...
When Bavaria introduced “tuition fees” (€400 per term) in 2007, students went “on strike”. Obviously, this did not impress the government.
Nevertheless, the fees were abolished in 2013 because of backlash from parents: the dentists, lawyers and engineers.
www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
A few years ago (2022) I presented a paper where I developed 3 mechanisms of politicization of the European Union.
one of them is the usual bottom-up process: people get mobilized by what the EU does. I called it "reactive politicization". Countless examples of it in the literature.
1/9
Debra Thompson:
"In Mr. Trump’s mind, of course, there is no hypocrisy; there is only the belief that world peace can be won solely through global concession to American hegemony"
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
"Obviously, the Gulf states play an important role for Trump, his cliques and his politics. Those of the 'old West' (Europe, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Japan) need to decide if they want to partake in the new MAGA-Club as vassals, or if they have an alternative."
Screenshot add announcing trade diversification to protect Ontario
Screenshot cover Ontario's Building Fortress Am-Can plan
Ontario provincial government's attempt to square the trade policy circle.
If you don’t think that separatism is not causing Alberta reputational and investment damage, think again.
Germany’s leading magazine highlights the instability.
”Separatisten in Alberta - diese Trump-Fans wollen raus aus Kanada - DER SPIEGEL”
www.spiegel.de/ausland/kana...
#ableg
The lack of clarity - and resulting confusion - is a general pattern. Similar: The PM has never explained what exactly he means by "nation-building" or "cooperative federalism", but frequently and deliberately uses these terms - which can mean a lot of different things in Canadian federalism.
Oh we will, can't wait to get out for a day!
Same here. Our default used to be Lake Huron, and it took some time before we realized how beautiful Lake Erie is. And, yes, we love our rivers, too. Still need to explore more of the Nith though.
Paris is a gem! I always take on day off during March break and we make a short family road trip. This was last year: we followed the Grand River right to Lake Erie, close to Port Maitland. Paris was our first stop (usually we only see the hockey rink in Brant :) )