Centre for Studies on Federalism
Encyclopedia
The Centre for Studies on Federalism (CSF) was established in November 2000 with the primary purpose of studying and researching the theory and practice of Federalism
both as a political doctrine and in its implementation in the institutional systems of the Modern state
. CSF’s main focus is on the infra-national, macro-regional and global scale of federalism: it specifically considers regional integration
at a time of globalisation, with special reference to Europe
, its history and civilization, its progress towards unification and its future.
in Moncalieri
, a town on the outskirts of Turin
. It was established as a research centre jointly with the University of Pavia
and University of Turin
, with the Foundation Compagnia di San Paolo, and was subsequently joined by the University of Milan
.
The purpose of CSF – as stated in its Statute of Association is to promote and coordinate scientific research on studies on federalism, as well promoting and coordinating activities with member universities and other Italian and foreign international universities and research centres. Furthermore, CSF also cooperates with private and public agencies and bodies interested in promoting fostering the development of knowledge and implementation of federalist principles.
The CSF is governed by a Board which sets the guidelines for the scientific projects and fund allocation, the Steering Committee, the Board of Auditors and by a Scientific Committee whose members are renowned international scholars and experts of federalism. The administrative and scientific staff also include researchers from several universities and fields of research, including Law, Economics, Social, Political Science and History. Lastly, CSF’s Library contains some 12,000 books volumes, subscribes to 70 newspapers, journals and magazines. It also houses 500 ones titles that are no longer in print as well as a number of special collections bequeathed to the Centre, such as the CIME Archive of the Italian Council of the European Movement
and the online document summary of the Altiero Spinelli
Collection, of which the hard copies are at Historical Archives of the European Union
administered by the European University Institute in Florence
.
Our Research Papers are addressed to Academia but also cover the facets and issues of interest for diplomats, politicians and several other professional arenas.
Furthermore, CSF activity includes a number of editorial projects, in-depth studies, monitoring and surveying of global trends related to processes of federation, regional integration and international democracy
. These include:
more in depth. CSF also offers and Education programme, with post graduate courses in Law and Business, organised with the Turin University Institute of European Studies , aimed at offering advanced studies on law and economics with a special focus on to the internal EU market.
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
both as a political doctrine and in its implementation in the institutional systems of the Modern state
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
. CSF’s main focus is on the infra-national, macro-regional and global scale of federalism: it specifically considers regional integration
Regional integration
Regional integration is a process in which states enter into a regional agreement in order to enhance regional cooperation through regional institutions and rules...
at a time of globalisation, with special reference to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, its history and civilization, its progress towards unification and its future.
Structure and mission
CSF is housed at the Collegio Carlo AlbertoCollegio Carlo Alberto
Collegio Carlo Alberto is one of the "colleges" of the University of Turin, located in the town of Moncalieri, northern Italy, in the province of Turin. The Collegio can refer to the physical structure, a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture in the town of Moncalieri, Italy or to the schools...
in Moncalieri
Moncalieri
Moncalieri is a town and comune of approximately 58,000 inhabitants about eight kilometers directly south of downtown Turin , in Piedmont, Italy. It is notable for its castle, built in the 12th century and enlarged in the 15th century, which later became the favorite residence of Maria Clotilde...
, a town on the outskirts of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. It was established as a research centre jointly with the University of Pavia
University of Pavia
The University of Pavia is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. It was founded in 1361 and is organized in 9 Faculties.-History:...
and University of Turin
University of Turin
The University of Turin is a university in the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy...
, with the Foundation Compagnia di San Paolo, and was subsequently joined by the University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
.
The purpose of CSF – as stated in its Statute of Association is to promote and coordinate scientific research on studies on federalism, as well promoting and coordinating activities with member universities and other Italian and foreign international universities and research centres. Furthermore, CSF also cooperates with private and public agencies and bodies interested in promoting fostering the development of knowledge and implementation of federalist principles.
The CSF is governed by a Board which sets the guidelines for the scientific projects and fund allocation, the Steering Committee, the Board of Auditors and by a Scientific Committee whose members are renowned international scholars and experts of federalism. The administrative and scientific staff also include researchers from several universities and fields of research, including Law, Economics, Social, Political Science and History. Lastly, CSF’s Library contains some 12,000 books volumes, subscribes to 70 newspapers, journals and magazines. It also houses 500 ones titles that are no longer in print as well as a number of special collections bequeathed to the Centre, such as the CIME Archive of the Italian Council of the European Movement
European Movement
The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it.-History:...
and the online document summary of the Altiero Spinelli
Altiero Spinelli
Altiero Spinelli was an Italian political theorist and a European federalist. Spinelli is referred to as one of the "Founding Fathers of the European Union" due to his co-authorship of the Ventotene Manifesto, his founding role in the European federalist movement, his strong influence on the first...
Collection, of which the hard copies are at Historical Archives of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
administered by the European University Institute in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Research
Research at the CSF is aimed at furthering the development of knowledge on the various aspects of Federalism, promoting debate in the public arena by studying and researching the public arena through studies and research on the above and to encourage researchers and experts to contribute to the discussion on European and international issues.Our Research Papers are addressed to Academia but also cover the facets and issues of interest for diplomats, politicians and several other professional arenas.
Furthermore, CSF activity includes a number of editorial projects, in-depth studies, monitoring and surveying of global trends related to processes of federation, regional integration and international democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. These include:
- Perspectives on Federalism: an online journal with an forum on federalism in all tiers of government – regional and global sub-national authorities.
- Bibliographical Bulletin on Federalism: an online quarterly offering providing an overview of articles on Federalism from 700 Italian, English, French, German and Spanish journals and papers.
- International Democracy Watch: a portal whose purpose is to collect, compare and analyse a set of data to monitor progress and developments of democracy, international institutions and agencies, assessing such changes through regular monitoring;
- Operations within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy (EU CSDP Operations): these projects are aimed at gathering information for a comparative analysis of military, policing and state operations within the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) since 2003.
- The Fiscal Federalism Watch to gain a better understanding of the reorganization of the Italian public finance system in Italy and what the consequences of a constitutional reform needed for fiscal federalism would be
Events and activities
CSF organises meetings and seminars jointly with other institutions and research bodies devoted to a more comprehensive understanding of certain topics or to the presentation of books some of which published by CSF . The Altiero Spinelli Lecture is the CSF’s most important academic event: a yearly conference with a keynote lecture (lectio magistralis) held by an internationally renowned expert or academic on a European or Federalist topic. The idea of naming the lecture after Altiero Spinelli, one of the founding fathers of European Federalism, came from the need for an ad hoc conference to study European integrationEuropean integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
more in depth. CSF also offers and Education programme, with post graduate courses in Law and Business, organised with the Turin University Institute of European Studies , aimed at offering advanced studies on law and economics with a special focus on to the internal EU market.
See also
- Alexander HamiltonAlexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
- Altiero SpinelliAltiero SpinelliAltiero Spinelli was an Italian political theorist and a European federalist. Spinelli is referred to as one of the "Founding Fathers of the European Union" due to his co-authorship of the Ventotene Manifesto, his founding role in the European federalist movement, his strong influence on the first...
- Carl Joachim FriedrichCarl Joachim FriedrichCarl Joachim Friedrich was a German-American professor and political theorist....
- Carlo CattaneoCarlo CattaneoCarlo Cattaneo was an Italian philosopher, writer and patriot.-Biography:Cattaneo was born in Milan; he died in Castagnola, close to Lugano in the Swiss canton of Ticino, where he had spent the last twenty years of his life in exile.A republican in his convictions, during his youth he had taken...
- Daniel J. ElazarDaniel J. ElazarDaniel Judah Elazar was a professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University and Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the founder and president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.-Biography:...
- Ernesto Rossi
- European Federalist Movement
- European IntegrationEuropean integrationEuropean integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
- European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
- FederalismFederalismFederalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
- Federalist PapersFederalist PapersThe Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles or essays promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788...
- FederationFederationA federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
- Fiscal federalismFiscal federalismAs a subfield of public economics, fiscal federalism is concerned with "understanding which functions and instruments are best centralized and which are best placed in the sphere of decentralized levels of government"...
- History of European Union
- John Robert SeeleyJohn Robert SeeleySir John Robert Seeley, KCMG was an English essayist and historian.-Life:He was born in London, the son of R.B. Seeley, a publisher. Seeley developed a taste for religious and historical subjects...
- Kenneth WheareKenneth WheareSir Kenneth Clinton Wheare CMG was an Australian academic, who spent most of his career at Oxford University in England...
- International organizationInternational organizationAn intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
- Lionel RobbinsLionel RobbinsLionel Charles Robbins, Baron Robbins, FBA was a British economist and head of the economics department at the London School of Economics...
- Luigi EinaudiLuigi EinaudiLuigi Einaudi , Cavaliere di Gran Croce decorato di Gran Cordone OMRI was an Italian politician and economist. He served as the second President of the Italian Republic between 1948 and 1955.-Early life:...
- Philip Henry Kerr
- Pierre-Joseph ProudhonPierre-Joseph ProudhonPierre-Joseph Proudhon was a French politician, mutualist philosopher and socialist. He was a member of the French Parliament, and he was the first person to call himself an "anarchist". He is considered among the most influential theorists and organisers of anarchism...
- Regional integrationRegional integrationRegional integration is a process in which states enter into a regional agreement in order to enhance regional cooperation through regional institutions and rules...
- Regionalism (politics)Regionalism (politics)Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
- Young European Federalists
- Ventotene ManifestoVentotene ManifestoThe Ventotene Manifesto is a political statement written by Altiero Spinelli and by Ernesto Rossi while they were prisoners on the Italian island of Ventotene during World War II. Completed in June 1941, the Manifesto was circulated within the Italian Resistance, and it soon became the programme...