The Department of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside is pleased to announce the publication of a new book by Associate Professor of Teaching Yasemin Irepoglu Carreras: Decentralization, Interactive Governance and Income Inequality in Europe (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025).

This book examines the complex relationships between decentralization, interactive governance, and income inequality across four European countries – France, Germany, Sweden, and Spain. Drawing on in-depth case studies, the book explores the ways in which the structure of the government, or the allocation of authority across jurisdictions, can influence redistribution and income inequality in a country.

The main argument of the book is that higher decentralization, especially in the form of fiscal decentralization, inhibits the overall ability of the central government to exercise standardized central fiscal policies (redistributive and tax) that target income inequality and other economic policies. However, if subnational units, the central government and other social actors share the power in deciding what the central government ‘redistributes,’ and interact in creating policies that target inequality, this should be associated with lower income inequality levels in a country, as well as lower disparities in certain social policies.  Interactive governance can mitigate the effects of decentralization contributing to inequality.

Part of the International Series on Public Policy (ISPP), the book offers valuable insights for scholars and students of public policy, comparative political economy, governance, and inequality studies. It provides both theoretical frameworks and concrete empirical analyses, highlighting how variations in both political structures influence economic disparities.

Professor Irepoglu Carreras, whose research focuses on territorial politics, comparative political economy, and European governance, has previously published in leading journals, including Comparative Political Studies, European Policy Analysis, and Electoral Studies. Her new book continues this line of inquiry, offering actionable conclusions for policymakers and academics interested in understanding the dynamics of decentralized governance and its effects on inequality.

This book is available in PDF, EPUB, and print formats, and is accessible in accordance with the latest accessibility standards. For more information, visit SpringerLink

Citation: Yasemin Irepoglu Carreras, Decentralization, Interactive Governance and Income Inequality in Europe, International Series on Public Policy (Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95983-7.