Representing Regions, Challenging Bicameralism: An Introduction

Abstract

This special issue publishes a number of conference papers presented at the conference ‘Representing Regions, Challenging Bicameralism’ that took place on 22 and 23 March 2018 at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. In this issue, the developments of European bicameral parliaments in (quasi-)federal states are dealt with as well as the political impact of shared rule and alternative models to second chambers. Several papers compare the organizational and functional design of territorial second chambers. Finally, closer examination is given to the EU’s Committee of Regions and the second chambers in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

Keywords

• Austria
• Belgium
• bicameralism
• Committee of Regions
• Europe
• federalism
• Germany
• Italy
• legislation
• parliamentarism
• regionalism
• second chambers
• shared rule
• Spain
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom