How and to what degree do federations produce uniform law within their system? This comparative
empirical study addresses these questions comprehensively for the first time. Originally
produced under the auspices of the International Academy of Comparative Law this volume
examines legal unification in twenty federations around the world. Each of the successive
chapters presents the forces of unification through the lens of a particular federal system. A
comparative overview chapter provides a detailed analysis of the overall results with
compelling visual illustrations of legal unification along different dimensions (e.g. by area
of law by federation by civil vs common law system). The overview chapter summarizes and
analyzes the means and methods of legal unification and the degree of legal unification of each
system and explains the driving forces of legal unity and diversity in federations more
generally. The volume presents surprising findings that should make scholars rethink their
abandonment of the civil law vs. common law distinction in comparative law. ¿ This book is a
milestone in the study of federalism. It is a rare and welcome melding of comparative law and
comparative politics using both original data and qualitative analysis. Wide-ranging probing
and definitive this book is an invaluable resource for students of law politics and
multi-level governance. Gary Marks Burton Craige Professor UNC-Chapel Hill and Chair in
Multilevel Governance Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
