Managing the Covid-19 crisis in a divided Belgian federation : cooperation against all odds

Abstract: The virus outbreak hit Belgium in the middle of a political crisis, after elections that put the confederalism debate back on the table. Combined with the decentralised and dual form of Belgian federalism, it was to be expected that the sub-states would take a prominent role in the fight against the spread of the virus. Instead, the virus turned out to be an external factor that, for the time being, reshaped de jure dual federalism into de facto cooperative federalism, with the federal authorities taking the lead after coordination with the sub-states. However, in the absence of an a... Mehr ...