Union Designs
Why Federations Divide Power Between Levels
Why federations divide power between levels: see how shared rules address cross-border effects while preserving local…
The archive
All dispatches
Explore accounts of union histories, shared institutions, civic arguments, collective identity and the different ways political unions are designed.
Shared Institutions
Confederation or Federation: Where Does Authority Sit?
Confederation or federation turns on who authorizes shared decisions. An invented river dispute shows how each…
Collective Identity
Before the Flag: How Union Symbols Took on Civic Meaning
Union symbols gain civic meaning through shared use. See how public rituals, institutions, and local traditions shape…
Union Debates
The Myth of a Union Without Disagreement
The myth of a union without disagreement mistakes argument for failure. Learn how to tell a routine policy fight from…
Union Histories
Reading a Union Anniversary Beyond the Ceremony
Reading a union anniversary closely shows how its program connects a shared institution to public memory, and which…