Political authority is changing around the world. Decision making has shifted downwards to regional and local governments and upwards to supranational and international organizations. The purpose of this course is to examine the design, operation, and effects of multilevel governance. It introduces students to different forms of multilevel governance but focuses on federalism as the most prominent form of multilevel governance. The first part of the course is dedicated to the origins and main principles of federalism (e.g., division of powers, intergovernmental relations, bicameralism, fiscal federalism) and the dynamics of federal systems. In the second part, we will review examples of multilevel systems across the world. The third part of the course discusses how federalism and multi-level governance affect policymaking and policy outcomes, economic performance, crisis management, and conflict resolution. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to distinguish between federalism and other forms of multi-level governance; understand what federalism is and where it originated; identify whether a country is federal; compare the design and operation of federalism in different countries; and to understand the advantages and disadvantages of federal governance.