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Examines the nature of democratic representation in federal systems, drawing on examples of functioning of the political systems of Austria, Germany, Spain, and the European Union; 7 articles. Available in book form as "Compounded representation in West European federations", ISBN 0 7146 4816 7 (cloth), 0 7146 4366 (paper).

As Greens we have come quite a long way in our relatively short but eventful political history. Thirty years ago or so, when the first Greens started harping on the neglect of the environment and on the need to redress the balance of nature, the long-standing establishment looked down upon us and even snubbed us.When we Greens started highlighting energy issues and the problems of climate change, some established traditional politicians tried to belittle us. When we Greens insisted on improving the quality of life of all beings on Earth and stressed the necessity of Ieading a healthy lifestyle based on the consumption of safe and natural food products, we encountered resistance from a number of multinational companies and politicians. ; peer-reviewed

Dennis Mueller has recently made a significant contribution to understanding issues of federalism & confederalism in the European Union -- from a particular public choice point of view. He furnishes an important & provocative discussion of the relationship between the decision-making rules embodied in a constitutional convention (or other means of drafting a form of union for constituent states) & the decision-making rules that will be contained in the constitution that is the outcome of that convention. However, Mueller's veiled preference for a certain ideal form of federalism for Europe tends to reduce the parameters of his discussion, & gives his article an unrealistic & narrow focus, despite its ambitious scope. The present article explores some of the latent complexities in the public choice analysis & design of European integration, particularly by drawing on the wider experience of working federations & theory of federalism, using the unique & synthesizing Australian experience as a point of departure. It argues that Mueller's analysis is biased toward the reduction of decision-making costs of European governance, & thus undervalues the external costs that may be imposed through excessive central government. 40 References. Adapted from the source document.