Austria: A Federation without Federalism

Austria is an understudied case in comparative federalism. There are, however, interesting theoretical observations concerning the workings of Austrian federalism. In particular, analysis of the Austrian federal system is likely to call attention to the relationship between political institutions and the social structure in the study of comparative federalism. This essay seeks to expose the centralizing tendencies related to societal homogeneity that exert broad pressures on Austria's federal system. Empirical evidence shows a pan-Austrian national framework of reference employed by political actors even when the policy areas in question are within exclusive Länder jurisdiction. Without the territorially based distinctiveness necessary to sustain a federal outlook, the Austrian federal system has moved in a centralist direction.