Federalism and Fiscal Policy

The Politics of Equalization in Canada

Bibliographic Data

ID6375465
AuthorsAndré Lecours (0000-0002-8938-0286), Daniel Béland (0000-0003-2756-5629)
Year2010
Volume40
Issue4
Pages569-596
Publication date2010-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublius The Journal of Federalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0048-5950 • E-ISSN: 1747-7107
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/publius/pjp030
OpenAlexW2051020871
LanguageEN
Citations received38
References cited12

Fiscal equalization is a key political issue in many federal countries, including Canada. Yet, relatively few scholars have paid systematic attention to the political dimensions of Canada's federal equalization program. Taking an historical and institutionalist perspective, this article explores the politics of equalization policy in Canada, with a focus on the mid-2000s, a period when equalization policy suddenly became a major source of intergovernmental conflict. The main objective of the article is to explain why and how such political struggles over equalization developed. The explanation focuses on four factors: (i) the importance of executive discretion over the equalization program; (ii) the "inter-state" nature of Canadian federalism; (iii) the concentration of non-renewable natural resources in certain provinces; and (iv) the perceptions that surround the program. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press

Decentralization · Economic history · Federalism · fiscal federalism · Political science · Politics · Corporate Taxation and Avoidance · Local Government Finance and Decentralization · Political Systems and Governance · History · Law · Public Administration