The Persian Blueprint? The Achaemenid Empire’s Legacy in Modern Multilevel Governance

Decentralization, Federalism, Intergovernmental Relations, Local Governance, Multilevel Governance, Provinces

Author: Sparsho Chakraborty – The Achaemenid Persian Empire ruled over an unprecedentedly vast and diverse territory. Its governance system combined centralized authority with regional autonomy through the satrapy system, allowing effective administration across its vast lands. This model, while rooted in monarchy, developed prototypical principles of decentralized regional administration which share similarities with modern federations, such as Canada.

Transparency in Canadian Housing under the Housing Partnership Framework

Canada, Decentralization, Federalism, Fiscal Federalism, Intergovernmental Relations, Political Autonomy, Provinces, Subnational Autonomy

Authors: Jennifer Wallner & Robert Breen – Housing in Canada is increasingly unaffordable. Between 2000 and 2019, the percentage increase of housing prices was approximately three times higher than the percentage increase of median nominal income (Zhu et al., 2023). Furthermore, between 2020 and 2022, housing prices rose by 30% (August 2022). While improvements are anticipated, the affordability crisis is detrimental for Canadians (CMHC, 2025a).