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Examining the principles and practice of federal and multilevel governance systems with a comparative international perspective. Each episode we address a key governance issue with world-leading practitioners and scholars from the Forum of Federations' international expert network.
Episodes
Monday Mar 30, 2026
Monday Mar 30, 2026
What do the experiences of digitalization in different federations tell us about developing digital governance in federal countries? And what lessons are there for policymakers and citizens in an increasingly digital world?
In the final episode in our series on federalism and digitalization, we're joined by André Lecours, Eric Champagne and the Forum's own Jamie Thomas, to talk about why federalism can be a barrier or facilitator in digitalization processes, and how and why federal countries do digital differently.
Read the full comparative chapter by Jamie M. Thomas, Felix Knüpling, and Diana Chebenova now!
Download the complete Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization of Public Administration in Federal Countries for free!
Check out the Forum's other work on digitalization and federalism.
Follow the Forum on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube for more great content on federalism and multilevel governance!
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this minisode, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Friday Mar 27, 2026
Friday Mar 27, 2026
What does successful intergovernmental cooperation in the digitalization of public services look like, and what conditions are needed to make it happen?
In the final country minisode in our federalism and digitalization series, Mario Kölling tells us how Spain has built high-performing, interoperable digital public services, despite its historically conflictual political culture.
Read Mario's full chapter on Spain and download the complete Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization of Public Administration in Federal Countries for free now!
Check out the Forum's other work on digitalization and federalism.
Follow the Forum on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube for more great content on federalism and multilevel governance!
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this minisode, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas & Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Wednesday Mar 25, 2026
Wednesday Mar 25, 2026
Can digitalization become an issue which threatens the status quo in a cooperative federal system?
In this minisode, Forum Non-Resident Fellow Sabine Kropp talks to us about how the progress of digitalization in Germany has been affected by the federal structure, and how other factors might also be holding the country back from realizing its digital government potential.
Read Sabine's full Germany chapter and download the complete Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization of Public Administration in Federal Countries for free now!
Check out the Forum's other work on digitalization and federalism.
Follow the Forum on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube for more great content on federalism and multilevel governance!
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this minisode, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas & Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Monday Mar 23, 2026
Monday Mar 23, 2026
How does digitalization work in a federation of country-sized cities and hamlet-sized municipalities?
In this minisode, we speak with Luis Claudio Kubota about how Brazil - a country of continental proportions - has approached digitalization, and the important role of coordination between governments when it comes to providing digital education services.
Read the full Brazil chapter by Luis, Daniel Pitangueira de Avelino, and Beatriz Burattini now!
And download the complete Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization of Public Administration in Federal Countries for free!
Check out the Forum's other work on digitalization and federalism.
Follow the Forum on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube for more great content on federalism and multilevel governance!
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this minisode, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas & Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Friday Mar 20, 2026
Friday Mar 20, 2026
Can digitalization work in a federation where local autonomy is an inseperable part of the governance culture?
In this minisode, Tereza Cahlikova tells us how Swiss federal culture has impacted the process of digitalization, as we ask: Is there is anything about digitalization that could challenge Switzerland's long held governance traditions?
Read Tereza's chapter on Switzerland and download the complete Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization of Public Administration in Federal Countries for free!
Check out the Forum's other work on digitalization and federalism.
Follow the Forum on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube for more great content on federalism and multilevel governance!
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this minisode, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas & Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Wednesday Mar 18, 2026
Wednesday Mar 18, 2026
Canada has embraced open government. And digitalization is crucial to achieving the "transparency, accountability, citizen engagement, and socio-economic benefits" open government is designed to bring.
In the first of our federalism and digitalization country minisodes, we're joined by Eric Champagne to discuss what challenges - and opportunities - there are in implementing digital open government in Canada's decentralized federal system.
Read the full chapter on Canada by Eric Champagne, Silvana Gomes & André Lecours!
Download the complete Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization of Public Administration in Federal Countries for free!
Check out the Forum's other work on digitalization and federalism.
Follow the Forum on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube for more great content on federalism and multilevel governance!
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this minisode, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas & Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Monday Mar 16, 2026
Monday Mar 16, 2026
How are digital technologies shaping how governments in federal countries communicate, interact with, and provide services to their citizens? And what opportunities and challenges do governments in federations face in integrating new technology?
In this new series, we'll explore these questions and more to find out how federations around the world are doing digitalization.
In the first episode of the series, we ask: What is digitalization? And why does it matter?
Presented by Liam Whittington & Jamie Thomas.
Download the Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization of Public Administration in Federal Countries for free!
Check out the Forum's other work on digitalization and federalism.
Follow the Forum on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube for more great content on federalism and multilevel governance!
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this episode, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas and Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Monday Aug 26, 2024
Monday Aug 26, 2024
How do governments in multilingual federal countries approach the use of language in different areas? How do governance institutions in federations shape language provisions and accommodate the language needs of different linguistic communities?
In the concluding episode of our mini-series on language policy and federalism, we take a deep dive into how language policies in Canada, India and South Africa have attempted to navigate the opportunities and tensions of language in federations. We explore how language issues manifest in government administration and services, examine how colonial histories shape minority vs. majority language debates, and delve into the particularly tricky area of language in education.
Joining us on this episode:
Leslie Seidle, Public Policy Consultant and Senior Advisor, Forum of Federations
Asha Sarangi, Professor of Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Linda Cardinal, Assistant Vice Rector Research, Université de l’Ontario français
Miranda Huron, Director of Indigenous Affairs and Education, Capilano University
Michelle Maziwisa, Programme Manager, Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa Master's Programme, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Also featuring:
Liam Whittington, Senior Program Manager, Forum of Federations
Jamie Thomas, Program Officer, Forum of Federations
The Forum’s compendium on language policy in federations is out now! Download Language Policy in Federal and Devolved Countries - The Collected Works for free!
If you're looking for more cutting-edge multilevel governance content, check out our Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channels. Stay tuned to forumfed.org and our social media channels for more info on our publications and events.
Get in touch with the podcast! Send us your thoughts on this and other episodes, as well as ideas for future topics you’d like to hear discussed, to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas and Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington.
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Why is language such an important factor in how people live their daily lives in federations? How does language impact on how people interact with governance systems and each other in federal and multilevel countries?
In the first part of our two part mini-series on language policy and federalism, we explore language and its relationship to identity, community, and the state. And we delve in to the complex issue of language dynamics in Canada, India and South Africa.
Joining us on this episode:
Leslie Seidle, Public Policy Consultant and Senior Advisor, Forum of Federations
Asha Sarangi, Professor of Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Linda Cardinal, Assistant Vice Rector Research, Université de l’Ontario français
Miranda Huron, Director of Indigenous Affairs and Education, Capilano University
Michelle Maziwisa, Programme Manager, Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa Master's Programme, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
The Forum’s compendium on language policy in federal and devolved countries will be out soon! Stay tuned to forumfed.org and our social media channels for more info.
If you're looking for more cutting-edge multilevel governance content, check out our Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channels.
Don’t forget to stay in touch! Send us your thoughts on this and other episodes as well as ideas for future topics you’d like to hear discussed to podcast@forumfed.org.
Hosted by Jamie Thomas and Liam Whittington.
Written and produced by Liam Whittington.
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
What have federations in different parts of the world been doing to address climate change? What strategies are governments using to cultivate change? And what about the other players involved in the climate equation – how do they fit in?
In our second and final episode on federalism and climate change, we’re asking big questions and perusing the practical. We’re taking a look at the intricacies of climate governance in federations on four continents to explore the current state of play in 2023 and ask: what can federalism contribute to averting climate catastrophe?
Joining us on this episode:
Alan Fenna, Professor of Politics, Curtin University, Western Australia.
Kathryn Harrison, Professor of Political Science, University of British Columbia.
Carsten Sieling, Former Mayor of the City of Bremen.
Warathida Chaiyapa, Lecturer and Assistant Director at the School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University.
The Forum’s comparative book on climate and federalism is out now! Check out Climate Governance and Federalism – A Forum of Federations Comparative Policy Analysis, available open access!
Professor Harrison’s paper on climate governance in Canada is also available now! Download The Challenge of Federalism for Canadian Climate Policy for free from the Forum website!
If you're looking for more cutting-edge multilevel governance content, check out our Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channels.
Don’t forget to stay in touch! Send us your thoughts on this and other episodes as well as ideas for future topics you’d like to hear discussed to podcast@forumfed.org.
Written and hosted by Jamie Thomas and Liam Whittington.
Produced by Liam Whittington and Zeeniya Waseem.