Territorial Politics and Institutional Change: A Comparative-Historical Analysis

In the introductory article for this special issue, we argue that studying territorial politics through comparative-historical analysis (CHA) offers valuable insights in understanding the changing territorial distribution of authority in federal, regional, and decentralized countries. We point to limitations that have beset the analysis of territorial politics and suggest how recent advances in CHA offer a promising approach to avoid and overcome existing shortcomings. We also demonstrate and illustrate the ways that vertical and horizontal dimensions of territorial structures evolve over time, from the moment they are created to subsequent episodes of reform. Our aim is to show that time has causal relevance in connecting past and present patterns of change and continuity, and thus in capturing the formative and developmental pathways of changes in territorial authority.