Forum of Federations

His new book explores how federal systems balance democratic legitimacy, autonomy, effective government and cooperation across government levels – questions that sit at the heart of much of the Forum’s work.

Arthur has worked with the Forum on a range of projects and publications, including his 2021 Forum paper Federal Democracy and the Challenges of Political Polarization. 🔗 forumfed.org/document/federa…

Please note that this book is an independent publication by Arthur Benz, not a publication of the Forum of Federations.

We’re pleased to highlight Understanding Federal Democracy, a new book by Professor Arthur Benz, a longstanding member of the Forum of Federations’ international network and a valued contributor to our work over many years.

📅 Tuesday, November 10, 2026 🕛 12:00–1:30 p.m. (ET) 📍 Social Sciences Building (FSS), Room 4004, University of Ottawa, and online via Zoom 🗣️ English and French

The discussion will explore: 🔹 Digital policy decisions and implementation 🔹 Accountability 🔹 Collaboration across orders of government

Join the book’s experts and editors as they share insights and explore what AI and emerging technologies mean for how governments make decisions, work together, and deliver digital public services.

The book is edited by Eric Champagne, Silvana Gomes, Felix Knüpling, André Lecours, Jamie M. Thomas and Diana Chebenova.

On November 10, the Forum of Federations and the University of Ottawa’s Centre on Governance launch The Forum of Federations Handbook on Digitalization in Public Administration of Federal Countries, an open-access comparative study of nine federal and decentralized countries.

As AI and other frontier technologies advance, who decides, who is accountable, and how do governments coordinate?

🔹 Contact Felix Knüpling Vice President Programs Forum of Federations forumfed.org Email: knuepling@forumfed.org Prof. Dr. Sabine Kropp Freie Universität Berlin Department of Political and Social Sciences Email: sabine.kropp@fu-berlin.de

🔹 About Prof. Dr. Stéphane Dion: fas.umontreal.ca/en/diplomat… 🔹 About the Forum of Federations: forumfed.org/about/

🔹 Venue Freie Universität Berlin, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Lansstraße 7–9, Seminar Room 203, 14195 Berlin Nearest public transport station: Dahlem-Dorf (U3 underground line)

🔹 Date and time November 18, 2026, starting at 3:00 p.m. (doors open at 2:30 p.m.)

The event is jointly organized by the Research Unit on the Political System of the Federal Republic of Germany at the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science, Freie Universität Berlin, and the Forum of Federations.