Comparative federalism: what is a federation and how do we study more than one?

Comparative federalism is the attempt to build an understanding of federalism as a general phenomenon through analysis and comparison of multiple cases, and is now central to federal studies more broadly. Whether studying the trajectories and practices of federal systems, or the impact of federalism on politics and policy necessarily involves a comparative perspective or, indeed, application of the comparative method. Teaching comparative federalism involves an exploration of ways of conceptualising federalism; differentiating its empirical variations; comparing the different manifestations of its institutional features; framing the main research questions; applying the comparative method; as well as critical reflection on systematic comparison that has been done to date. This chapter outlines ways of teaching comparative federalism, providing indicative learning objectives, model essay and exam questions, and selected readings.