Federal second chambers compared

Book excerpt: This paper is in four parts: (1) a brief consideration of the relation of bicameralism to federalism; (2) a comparative outline of the methods of appointment, composition, powers and roles of federal second legislative chambers in a variety of federations; (3) the impact of political parties on the operation of federal second chambers; and (4) whether federal second chambers constrain or enhance d [...] An overall theme of the paper is to emphasize the variety of federal second chambers and the importance of examining not only structures but equally political processes in understanding the nature of federations. [...] Debate over whether representation in the federal legislature should be in terms of population or in terms of the constituent states was intense at the time of the creation of the first modern federation in the United States. [...] But while most federations have established bicameral federal legislatures, there has been in fact an enormous variation among them in the method of selection of members, the regional composition, and the powers of the second chambers, and consequently of their roles. [...] In Germany, the members of the Bundesrat are delegates of their Land cabinets, holding office in the federal second chamber ex officio as members of their Land executive and voting in the Bundesrat for each Land in a block on the instructions of their Land government.