Federalism and democracy: theoretical connections and cautionary insights / Edward L. Gibson -- Toward a new comparative politics of federalism, multinationalism, and democracy: beyond Rikerian federalism / Alfred Stepan -- Strong federalism, constraints on the central government, and economic reform in Brazil / David J. Samuels and Scott Mainwaring -- Legislative malapportionment in Latin America: historical and comparative perspectives / Richard Snyder and David J. Samuels -- Reallocative federalism: legislative overrepresentation and public spending in the Western hemisphere / Edward L. Gibson, Ernesto Calvo, and Tulia G. Falleti -- Federalism and institutional change in Venezuela / Michael Penfold-Becerra -- Unity by the stick: regional conflict and the origins of Argentine federalism / Edward L. Gibson and Tulia G. Falleti -- Multiple arenas of struggle: federalism and Mexico's transition to democracy / Enrique Ochoa-Reza -- Do federal institutions matter?: rules and political practices in regional resource allocation in Mexico / Alberto Diaz-Cayeros -- Electorally generated veto players in unitary and federal systems / Alfred Stepan