My research explores the causes and consequences of the territorial structure of political systems, from a comparative perspective across place and time.
Main projects and publications
The Politics and Policy of Conditional Grants in Australia, Canada and the United States
This project, co-led with Johanna Schnabel and funded by the British Academy and the James Madison Charitable Trust, explores the politics and policy of conditional grants in education and health care in Australia, Canada and the United States. It focusses on the impact conditional grant programmes have on the autonomy of the states/provinces and the extent to which such programmes achieve their policy goals.
Schnabel, J. and P. Dardanelli. 2023. Helping Hand or Centralizing Tool? The Politics of Conditional Grants in Australia, Canada and the United States. Governance 36/3: 865-85.
Why Centralisation and Decentralisation in Federations?
This project measures politico-institutional, policy, and fiscal de/centralisation in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the United States since the establishment of their respective federal order. It aims to explain why some federations have become more centralised over time while others have become more decentralised. I co-lead the project together with John Kincaid (Lafayette College, USA). The other members of the team are Katharine Adeney (University of Nottingham, UK), Filippo Boni (Open University, UK), Alan Fenna (Curtin University, Australia), André Kaiser (University of Cologne, Germany), Santiago Lacroix Eussler (Ohio State University, USA), André Lecours (University of Ottawa, Canada), Lorena Moscovich (San Andres University, Argentina), Sean Mueller (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), Juan Cruz Olmeda (Colegio de Mexico), Rogerio Schlegel (Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil), Ajay Kumar Singh (Hamdard University, India), Rotimi Suberu (Bennington College, USA) and Stephan Vogel (University of Cologne, Germany). It has received funding from the Leverhulme Trust (grant no. IN-2013-044), the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. IZK0Z1_155030), the São Paulo Research Foundation (grant no. 2018/00381-8), the James Madison Charitable Trust, and the Forum of Federations.
Dardanelli, P., J. Kincaid, K. Adeney, L. Moscovich, J. C. Olmeda, R. Schlegel, R. Suberu, F. Boni and S. Lacroix Eussler. 2023. Authoritarianism, Democracy and De/Centralization in Federations: What Connections? Regional and Federal Studies 33/5: 577-606.
Dardanelli, P., J. Kincaid, A. Fenna, A. Kaiser, A. Lecours, A. K. Singh, S. Mueller and S. Vogel. 2019. Dynamic De/Centralization in Federations: Comparative Conclusions. Publius: The Journal of Federalism 49/1: 194-219.
Dardanelli, P., J. Kincaid, A. Fenna, A. Kaiser, A. Lecours, and A. K. Singh. 2019. Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Theorizing Dynamic De/Centralization in Federations. Publius: The Journal of Federalism 49/1: 1-29.
Dardanelli, P. and S. Mueller. 2019. Dynamic De/Centralization in Switzerland, 1848-2010. Publius: The Journal of Federalism 49/1: 138-65.
Dardanelli, P., J. Kincaid, A. Fenna, A. Kaiser, A. Lecours, A. K. Singh, S. Mueller and S. Vogel. De/Centralisation Dataset 1790-2010. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service, doi: 10.5255/UKDA-SN-853510
Conceptualising De/Centralisation and Federalism
This project sought to advance the conceptualisation of de/centralisation and federalism in political science. It received funding from the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung.
Dardanelli, P. 2021. Conceptualizing and Measuring Decentralization. In I. Lago (ed.), Handbook on Decentralization, Devolution and the State. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Dardanelli, P. 2019. Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Mapping State Structures – With an Application to Western Europe, 1950-2015. Publius: The Journal of Federalism 49/2: 271-98. *Recipient of the 2020 John Kincaid Best Article Award*
European Integration and State Restructuring
This project investigated the causal connections between European integration and processes of state restructuring in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, from 1950 to today. It was funded by the James Madison Charitable Trust.
Dardanelli, P. 2017. Restructuring the European State – European Integration and State Reform. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press
Dardanelli, P. 2014. European Integration, Party Strategies, and State Restructuring: a Comparative Analysis. European Political Science Review 6/2: 213-36
Dardanelli, P. 2012. Europeanization and the Unravelling of Belgium: a Comparative Analysis of Party Strategies. Acta Politica 47/2: 181-209
Federalism, Nationality, and Democracy in Switzerland
Dardanelli, P. 2011. Multi-lingual but Mono-national – Exploring and Explaining Switzerland’s Exceptionalism. In Ferran Requejo and Miquel Caminal (eds), Federalism, Plurinationality, and Democratic Constitutionalism – Theory and Cases. Abingdon: Routledge
Dardanelli, P. and N. Stojanović. 2011. The Acid Test? Competing Theses on the Nationality-Democracy Nexus and the Case of Switzerland. Nations and Nationalism 17/2: 357-76
European Integration and Devolution in Scotland
Dardanelli, P. 2005. Between Two Unions: Europeanisation and Scottish Devolution. Manchester: Manchester University Press
Dardanelli, P. 2005. Democratic Deficit or the Europeanisation of Secession? Explaining the Devolution Referendums in Scotland. Political Studies 53/2: 320-42
Dardanelli, P. 2009. Europeanization as Heresthetics: Party Competition over Self-Government for Scotland, 1974-97. Party Politics 15/1: 49-68
Research mentoring
Post-doctoral
2018-20. Dr Johanna Schnabel. An Instrument of Centralisation? The Politics of Conditional Grants in Federal States. British Academy-funded Newton International Fellowship. Placement: Lecturer in Comparative Politics, FU Berlin.
Doctoral
2019-23. Carles Ferreira Torres. Why Independence? Trends, Causes and Effects of Secessionist Parties’ Discourse. PhD in Comparative Politics. Placement: Head of Office, Ministry of Justice, Government of Catalonia.
2017-21. Bizuneh Getachew Yimenu. Implementing Federalism in a Developing Country: the Case of Ethiopia, 1995-2020. PhD in Comparative Politics. Placement: Teaching fellow, University of Birmingham.
2016-20. Kieran Wright. Party Competition in Post-Devolution Scotland. PhD in Comparative Politics. Placement: Teaching fellow, University of Sheffield.
2015-19. Guillermo Reyes Pascual. Party Competition over the Centre-Periphery Cleavage. PhD in Comparative Politics. Placement: Associate lecturer, University of Kent.
2014-15. Meng Zhu. Religion and National Identity in China. Visiting doctoral reseacher in Comparative Politics from Peking University, China.
2013-14. Fabian Hayoz. Lobbying and Foreign Policy. Visiting doctoral researcher in International Relations from the University of Berne, Switzerland. Placement: Swiss diplomatic service.
2009-13. Tom Vandenkendelaere. The Evolution of Polish-German Relations in the Context of EU Enlargement: the Limits to Europeanisation. PhD in International Relations. Placement: Member of the European Parliament.
2009-13. Sean Mueller. Why Centralisation? A Comparative Analysis of the Swiss Cantons. PhD in Politics & Government, awarded without corrections. Placement: Swiss National Science Foundation Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Berne, Switzerland.
2006-07. Weiqing Song. Europeanisation of National Foreign Policy: the EU and UK’s Relations with China. Main supervisor. Visiting doctoral researcher in International Relations from the University of Siena, Italy. Placement: Assistant professor, University of Macau.
Pre-doctoral
2007-09. Rebecca Casson. Incentives, Opportunities and Constraints in Local Government Paradiplomacy: a Case Study of the Kent-Virginia Project. MA-R in Politics & Government, awarded without corrections. Placement: CEO, Committee for Geelong, Australia.
Paolo Dardanelli 