To inform the debate on independence for Catalonia, El País, one of the largest newspapers in Spain, has published three articles drawing heavily on the Regional Authority Index (RAI) co-developed by Arjan Schakel. The RAI is a measurement to trace decentralisation of authority to regional government in 81 countries since 1950. Find the links to the articles below.
The articles compare Catalonia’s autonomy to other regions in the world such as Quebec in Canada, Flanders in Belgium, and Länder in Germany. The first article discusses the extent of self-rule which is the authority exercised by regional government over those who live in the region. The second article compares shared ruled which is the authority exercised by a regional government or its representatives in the country as a whole. Tax and borrowing powers are the prime focus of the third article.
The referendum on independence of Catalonia has generated a huge interest in research on regionalism.
