Does federalism lead to more tailored policies? The theoretical premise suggests that federalisation
brings policies closer to citizens and allows for divergent policymaking when collective decisionmaking
proves challenging due to differing preferences and interests. However, no empirical studies
have assessed whether this promise truly holds. This project addresses this gap by examining
whether sub-state governments pursue different policies (RQ), focusing on Belgium as a most-likely
case for intra-federal policy differences between 1980 and 2024.
To capture policy divergence, two types of policy documents—government agreements and draft
decrees—will be manually coded. This approach uncovers both the visible, overarching political vision
and the specific, less visible policies that are implemented. The project consists of five sub-questions.
First, the salience of policies will be coded to determine if sub-state governments prioritize different
issues (SQ1). Second, the ideological positioning of these sub-state governments will be assessed
(SQ2). Third, a longitudinal analysis (SQ3) will identify trends and changes over time. Fourth, the
influence of institutional and political contexts on policy differences will be evaluated using regression
analyses (SQ4). Finally, the study will assess whether sub-state policies align with public preferences
or are primarily driven by elite dynamics (SQ5), offering insights into the substantive representation
within federal systems.