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Baxter Family Competition on Federalism

2025 edition:ÌýThinking Outside the Box

Baxter competition

Call for papers now open!Ìý

Open to law and political science students/PhD candidates, recent graduates, and junior practitioners or scholars from around the world.ÌýThe overarching goal of the Essay Competition is to advance research and foster informed debate on federalism.Ìý Essays are evaluated by a jury comprised of world renown experts on federalism.ÌýThe theme of this year’s edition is Federalism: Thinking Outside the BoxÌý

Papers must be written in English or French and be a maximum of 8000 words in English and 8800 words in French.Ìý

Prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 CND and the chance to present one’s research at the Baxter Family Symposium on Federalism held in Montréal in Spring 2025.Ìý

The deadline to submit an essay is February 7th, 2025, at 11:59 pm, Eastern Standard Time (Montreal Time)Ìý

Submissions are to be emailed to Professor Johanne Poirier, Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism, at baxter-competition.law [at] mcgill.ca


Submission Guidelines – 2025 EditionÌý

Author eligibilityÌý

  • All undergraduate or graduate students in law or political science students, as well as junior scholars, lawyers or practitioners who graduated in these disciplines with five (5) years of working experience or less, from anywhere around the world.Ìý

  • To be eligible, authors must eitherÌý

  • Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in law or political science;Ìý

  • Hold a law or political science degree and have obtained their most recent degree (in law or political science, or otherwise) after February 7th, 2020; orÌý

  • Have been admitted to the Bar (or the local equivalent) after February 7th, 2020.Ìý

  • Papers may be co-authored, to the extent that each author is eligible. If the submitted paper is selected, the Prize would be divided between authors.Ìý

°ä°ù¾±³Ù±ð°ù¾±²¹â€¯f´Ç°ù s³Ü²ú³¾¾±²õ²õ¾±´Ç²ÔÌý

  • Original text in English or in French;Ìý

  • Maximum of 8,000 words for texts in English and of 8,800 words for texts in French (including, in both languages, references). The word count should appear on the first page;Ìý

  • Text not yet submitted for publication as of February 7th, 2025;Ìý

  • Main text written in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on all sides;Ìý

  • Numbered in the upper right corner;Ìý

  • Submitted in Microsoft Word format;Ìý

  • The main text should be anonymised;Ìý

  • Must include complete references in footnotes;Ìý

  • Must include an abstract summarizing the main question and main conclusions (maximum 200 words).Ìý

  • It should be accompanied by a distinct document that includesÌý

  • ³Ù¾±³Ù±ô±ðÌý

  • author’s nameÌý

  • author’s contact information (e-mail, phone number, address)Ìý

  • statement affirming the eligibility for the Competition (University affiliation or date of graduation)Ìý

  • unpublished status of the paper.Ìý

¶Ù±ð²¹»å±ô¾±²Ô±ð f´Ç°ù S³Ü²ú³¾¾±²õ²õ¾±´Ç²ÔÌý

February 7th, 2025, at 11:59 pm, Eastern Standard Time (Montreal time). Submissions are to be emailed to Professor Johanne Poirier, Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism, at baxter-competition.law [at] mcgill.ca.Ìý

For any further inquiries, please email baxter-competition.law [at] mcgill.ca.Ìý

2023 edition:ÌýFederalism: What Makes it Work (or not!)Ìý

The Faculty of Law and the Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism are proud to announce the return of the prestigious Baxter Family Competition on Federalism for a fourth edition in 2023. This edition’s overall theme is Federalism: What makes it work (or not!). 

Winners of the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism 2023: Federalism: What Makes it Work (or not!)Ìý

Ã山ǿ¼é’s Faculty of Law and the Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism are delighted to announce the winners of the 2022-2023 Baxter Family Competition on Federalism. Organized by Professor Johanne Poirier, this essay competition was open to students and recent graduates in law and political science.ÌýÌýÌýÌý

We received numerous submissions of an exceptional quality from scholars and junior practitioners from 13 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Haiti, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Amongst those, the international jury attributed the following prizes:Ìý

  • First Prize: Shahal Khoso (Pakistani PhD candidate in Political Science, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain) – 5,000$ . “â€ÌýFor its original and ground-breaking argument challenging Western-centric approaches to federalism, through a skillful comparative and historical angle.
  • Second Prize: Arnaud Hoste and Ashley Saad (LLM candidates, Ã山ǿ¼é, Montreal, Canada) – 3,000$.Ìý“Canadian Federalism and Environmental Protection: What Makes it Work (or Not!)â€Ìý For its important insights into a complex and relevant area of Canadian federalism, supported by a rich diversity of sources.Ìý
  • Third Prize: Nadine Dahou and Anne-Frédérique Naud (MA candidates in Applied Political Studies, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada). “The Evolution of Intergovernmental Relations in Immigration: Cooperative Federalism in Canada and Australiaâ€. For its skillful comparative approach to a crucial issue of facing federal states, supported by a profound analysis of secondary sources.ÌýÌý
  • Special Mention from the Jury: Andreas Samartzis (Greek PhD candidate in Law, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom). “Judicial Supremacy in the European Federal Unionâ€. For its novel perspective and instructive overview of theoretical approaches to the legitimacy of judicial power in this complex polity. Abstract of the paper.
  • Special Mention from the Jury: Olivier Jacques (Assistant Professor in Public Health, Université de Montréal, Canada). “â€. For its strong theoretical and practical contribution to the global debate on a crucial issue of redistribution and balance in the Canadian federal system.ÌýÌý

We are deeply grateful to the distinguished members of our international jury, who thoroughly considered the submissions for the 2023 Competition:ÌýÌý

  • The Honourable Marie Deschamps, former Justice at the Supreme Court of Canada Ìý
  • The Honourable Clément Gascon, former Justice at the Supreme Court of Canada Ìý
  • ±Ê°ù´Ç´Ú. Maria Jesus Garcia Morales, Professor of Constitutional Law at the Autonomous University of BarcelonaÌý
  • ±Ê°ù´Ç´Ú. Rekha Saxena, Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of DelhiÌý
  • ±Ê°ù´Ç´Ú. Sabine Kropp, Professor of German Politics at the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science at the Free University of Berlin Ìý
  • ±Ê°ù´Ç´Ú. Yonatan T. Fessha, Professor of Law and Research Chair in constitutional design in divided societies at the University of the Western CapeÌý
  • ±Ê°ù´Ç´Ú. Guy Laforest, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Laval University; Member of the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la diversité et la démocratie (CRIDAQ); and independent scholar. Ìý
  • Josiah Wamwere-Njoroge, winner of the 2021 edition of the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism, post-graduate student at the Kenya School of Law. Ìý

Pictures from the 2023 Baxter Symposium

Ìý

About the Baxter Competition Ìý

Ìý
Created in 2016, the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism has been made possible through the generous support of Rachel Baxter, BSc’84, BCL’88 and Colin Baxter, BCL’90, LLB’90, who both practice law in Ottawa. Ìý

The overarching goal of the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism is to advance research and foster informed debate on federalism, in Canada and abroad. The competition is open to both to law and political science students and young practitioners from around the world.  Ìý

The first three editions received over 100 entries, from 22 countries (in addition to Canada, we had participants from Germany, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Spain, the United States, Ethiopia, France, Hungary, India, Ireland, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Zimbabwe!)

2021 edition: Federalism, Identity and Public Policy in Challenging Times

About the Baxter CompetitionÌý

Created in 2016, the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism has been made possible through the generous support of Rachel Baxter, BSc’84, BCL’88 and Colin Baxter, BCL’90, LLB’90, who both practice law in Ottawa.Ìý

The overarching goal of the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism is to advance research and foster informed debate on federalism, in Canada and abroad. The competition is open to both to law and political science students and young practitioners from around the world.ÌýÌý

The first three editions received over 100 entries, from 22 countries (in addition to Canada, we had participants from Germany, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Spain, the United States, Ethiopia, France, Hungary, India, Ireland, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Zimbabwe!)Ìý

The Faculty of Law of Ã山ǿ¼é and the Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism are delighted to announce the winners of the 2020-2021 Baxter Family Competition on Federalism, organized by Professor Johanne Poirier.

For the first time, the Competition was open to authors from the disciplines of law or political science. This edition’s overall theme was Federalism, Identity and Public Policy in Challenging Times.

We received numerous and diverse submissions of an exceptional quality from scholars and junior practitioners from 12 countries. Amongst those, the international jury has selected the following papers:

  1. First prize: Josiah Wamwere-Njoroge (LLB candidate, Riara University, Nairobi, Kenya) – 5,000$
    PDF icon The Utility of a Decentralized Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (abstract)
    For its well-developed, thoughtful and theoretically grounded argument, and its comparative focus, allowing an analysis relevant to the fundamentals of federalism.
  2. Second prize: Kelty McKerracher (JD/JID candidate, University of Victoria, Canada) – 3,000$
    PDF icon Relational Legal Pluralism and Indigenous Legal Orders in Canada
    For its topical, novel and mature argument, tackling both the theoretical roots and practical possibilities of legal pluralism as a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
  3. Third prize: Benoît Delerue (PhD candidate in political science, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3, Lyon, France) – 1,000$
    PDF icon Le régime fédératif face au triptyque structure-conjoncture-fracture: évolution structurelle des fédérations canadienne et états-unienne sous l’effet des crises conjoncturelles et des fractures politiques
    For its originality, the depth of its research in primary historical sources, and its comparative approach, providing a rich reflection on the evolution of federations.

Winners presented their papers at theÌýBaxter Family Symposium on Federalism, held online on May 15, 2021.

View the 2021ÌýBaxter Family Symposium on FederalismÌýhere:

Our distinguished jury

We are grateful to the distinguished members of our international jury, who thoroughly considered the submissions for the 2021 Competition:

  • The Right Hon. Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice at the Supreme Court of Canada.
  • The Honourable Clément Gascon, former Justice at the Supreme Court of Canada.
  • Prof. Francesco Palermo, President of the International Association of Centres for the Study of Federalism; Head of the Institute for Comparative Federalism at EURAC Research; and Professor of Comparative Public Law at University of Verona’s Faculty of Law (Italy).
  • Prof. Nicola McEwen, Professor of Territorial Politics at University of Edinburgh’s School of Social and Political Science; and Co-Director of the Centre on Constitutional Change (United Kingdom).
  • Prof. Yasmeen Abu-Laban, Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta; Canada Research Chair in the Politics of Citizenship and Human Rights; and Vice-President of International Political Science Association (Canada).
  • Prof. Nico Steytler, Professor at the University of the Western Cape’s Faculty of Law; and South African Research Chairs Initiative Chair in Multilevel Government, Law and Policy (South Africa).
  • Prof. Jaclyn L. Neo, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law; Director of Centre for Asian Legal Studies; and Co-Chair of International Society for Public Law (ICON-S)’s Singapore Chapter (Singapore).
  • Jan Raeimon Nato, BCL/LLB (2019), Student-at-Law at Baker McKenzie, and Winner of the 2019 Baxter Competition (Canada).

2019 edition

The Ã山ǿ¼é Faculty of Law and the Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism are delighted to announce the winners of the 2019 Baxter Family Competition.

We received numerous high-quality submissions from scholars and junior practitioners, with authors originating from a total of 13 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Ethiopia, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Scotland, Spain, the United States, and Zimbabwe. From these, the international jury selected the following:

  1. First Prize: Jan Raeimon Nato (BCL/LLB candidate, Ã山ǿ¼é, Montreal) – $5,000
    “PDF icon Duties of Federal Loyalty: Lessons to Learn, Conversations to be Hadâ€
  2. Second Prize: Berihun Gebeye (SJD Candidate, Central European University, Budapest) – $3,000
    “PDF icon Federal Theory and Federalism in Africaâ€
  3. Third Prize (ex-aequo) – $1000, to be shared:
  4. Special jury mention: Breanne Lavallee-Heckert (BCL/LLB candidate, Ã山ǿ¼é, Montreal)
    “PDF icon ‘The Space in Between’: Métis Self-Governance within the Canadian Federationâ€

Winners presented their papers at a Symposium held on 11 May 2019 starting at 11:30 at Ã山ǿ¼é’s Thomson House (3650, McTavish St.). See photos of the proceedings. This Symposium coincided with the of the the American Society of Comparative Law, which was being held 10-11 May, 2019 at Ã山ǿ¼é.

The jury

We are grateful to the distinguished members of our international and bilingual jury, who thoroughly considered the submissions for the 2019 Competition:

  • The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Former Chief Justice at the Supreme Court of Canada
  • Prof. Eva Maria Belser, Co-Director of the Institute of Federalism and holder of the Chair for Constitutional and Administrative Law, University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
  • Prof. Hugo Cyr, Doyen de la Faculté de droit de l’UQAM et codirecteur du Centre d’analyse politique sur la constitution et le fédéralisme — CAP-CF (Canada)
  • Dr Rohan Edrisinha, Constitutional Advisor to the United Nations Development Programme, New York, and Faculty Member at University of Colombo Faculty of Law (Sri Lanka)
  • Dr Menaka Guruswamy, BR Ambedkar Research Scholar, Lecturer at Columbia Law School and Barrister at the Supreme Court of India (United States and India)
  • Prof. Asha Kaushal, Assistant Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia and winner of the 2017 Baxter Competition (Canada)
  • Prof. Francesco Palermo, President of the International Association of Centers for the Study of Federalism, Head of the Institute for Comparative Federalism at EURAC Research, Professor of Comparative Public Law at University of Verona’s Faculty of Law (Italy)
  • Prof. Cheryl Saunders, Laureate Professor Emeritus, Co-Director of Studies in Government Law, International Law and Public Law, Melbourne Law School (Australia)

See the 2019 call for papers.

Should you have any questions regarding the Competition, do not hesitate to contact our research assistant at marie-helene.lyonnais [at] mail.mcgill.ca.

2017 edition

Bravo to theÌýwinners of the inaugural Baxter Family Competition:

  1. First Prize: Asha Kaushal (Assistant Professor, University of British-Columbia)
    PDF icon Constitutional Jurisdictions - $5,000
  2. Second Prize: Erika Arban (Lecturer, University of Antwerp)
    PDF icon Exploring the Principle of (Federal) SolidarityÌý- $3,000
  3. Third Prize: Eleonore Gauthier (Articling Student, Toronto)
    PDF icon Spending Power, Social Policy, and the Principle of SubsidiarityÌý- $1,000

The winners presented their papers at a Symposium that took take place at Ã山ǿ¼é’s Faculty Club (3450, McTavish St.) at 16h00, on March 22, 2017.

The jury

We are grateful to the distinguished jury members for their careful and thorough consideration of the essays:

  • Prof. Eva Maria Belser, Co-Director, Institute of Federalism, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • The Honourable Ian Binnie, Lawyer and former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
  • The Honourable Marie Deschamps, Lawyer and former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
  • Prof. Jean Leclair, Faculty of Law, Université de Montréal
  • Prof. Peter Oliver, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa
  • Prof. Patricia Popelier, Associate-Dean, University of Antwerp, BelgiumÌý
  • Prof. Cheryl Saunders, Director of Studies, Government Law, Melbourne Law School, Australia
  • Prof. Marc Verdussen, Faculté de droit, Université catholique de Louvain

2016 Competition Entries

We received close to forty high-quality submissions from legal scholars and junior law practitioners of which 35 were deemed admissible. Authors originate from a total of nine countries: Canada (British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Québec), Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We thank all participants for their contributions. (2016 Call for papers.)

Full list of contributions

  • Erika ARBAN (Lecturer, University of Antwerp), “Exploring the principle of (federal) solidarity†(Second Prize)
  • Mathieu ARVISAIS (Law student, Université Laval), “Saisir le concept d'efficacité en régime coopératif : À propos d'une normativité limitée à la rhétoriqueâ€
  • Daan BIJNENS (LL.M. candidate, University of Hasselt, Belgium) and Stef KEUNEN (LL.M. candidate, University of Leuven, Belgium), “’Ceci est une fiction’: Constitutional referendums in the federal state of Belgiumâ€
  • Philippe BOISVERT (LL.M. 2013, Cambridge University, UK), “Courts as the Guardians of Federalism in Canada: Filling the Vacuum of Canada's Democratic Institutionsâ€
  • Isabelle BOISVERT-CHASTENAY (Lawyer, Bar of Quebec 2015), “La viabilité du fédéralisme canadien comme mode de gouvernance des peuples autochtonesâ€
  • Aalok CHAUHAN (Law student, Nirma University, India), “Independence of Judiciary: Key to the Indian Federalismâ€
  • Daiana CRISAN (Law student, Université de Montréal) and Jérôme TREMBLAY (Law student, Université de Montréal), “Le fédéralisme coopératif au Canada : un principe inachevéâ€
  • Katrina CROCKER (Law student, Queen's University), “Religious Symbols and Their Integration within Canadian Society: An Interpretive Analysis of the Section 2(a) Charter Rightâ€
  • Vanessa De GREEF (LL.D. 2015, Université libre de Bruxelles), “Les constructions multiples du droit au travail des chômeurs souffrant de troubles mentaux en Belgique et leurs fondements idéologiquesâ€
  • Benjamin DIONNE (Law student, Ã山ǿ¼é), “Le Sénat du Canada : l'avenir de la confédérationâ€
  • Olivier DULUDE (Law student, Université de Montréal), “Vers une application cohérente du fédéralisme coopératif ?â€
  • David Christoph EHMKE (Ph.D. candidate, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany), “Hercules or Hydra: Decentralisation in Fiscal Federalismâ€
  • Justin FISCH (JD 2016, Ã山ǿ¼é), “The Case for Effective Environmental Politics: Federal or Unitary State? Comparing the Cases of Canada and the People's Republic of Chinaâ€
  • Julien FOURNIER (LL.M. candidate, Université Laval) and Amélie BINETTE (LL.M. candidate, Université Laval), “La Couronne : vecteur du fédéralisme canadienâ€
  • Eleonore GAUTHIER (JD 2015, Osgoode Hall), “Spending Power, Social Policy, and the Principle of Subsidiarity†(Third Prize)
  • Athanasios GIOCAS (LL.D. 2016, Université de Montréal), “Pour une théorie constitutionnelle fondée sur le principe fédéral : Une mise en perspective à travers le droit constitutionnel comparéâ€
  • U. Shen GOH (Ph.D. candidate, Osgoode Hall), “Branding Property: How Constitutional Cases Characterize Intellectual Propertyâ€
  • Scott HINDLE (Law student, University of Victoria), “Federal and Municipal powers over cell tower placement: The case for municipal involvementâ€
  • Waris HUSAIN (SJD candidate, Washington College of Law, Washington, DC) and Adil KHAN (Lawyer, of the Bar of British Columbia 2014), “Federalism in Nepal: A Comparative View of the United States and Canadaâ€
  • Asha KAUSHAL (Assistant Professor, UBC), “Constitutional Jurisdictions†(First Prize)
  • Étienne LACOMBE (Law student, Ã山ǿ¼é), “A Pragmatic Approach to Federalism in the Aboriginal Context: Lessons from the Nisga'a Final Agreementâ€
  • Matthew MALONE (Law student, Ã山ǿ¼é), “A Need to Know Basis? Canadian Federalism and the Disclosure of Egg and Sperm Donor Identityâ€
  • Mark MANCINI (Law student, University of New Brunswick), “The Old Fashioned Way: The Classical Paradigm and Reconciliationâ€
  • Karine McLAREN (LL.M. 2016, Université de Moncton), “Le bilinguisme législatif dans la Fédération canadienne : un régime à géométrie variableâ€
  • Greg MELCHIN (JD 2016, Dalhousie University), “Conflicting Federalisms: The Subsidiarity Principle in Canadian Federalism and Catholic Social Teachingâ€
  • Nihad OdobaÅ¡ić (LL.M. candidate, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina), “How should minority rights be guaranteed in a federation?â€
  • Oluwafifehan OGUNDE (Ph.D. candidate, University of Nottingham, UK), “Child Rights Protection in Federal States: Lessons from the Nigerian Experienceâ€
  • Ohio OMIUNU (Ph.D. 2014, University of Liverpool, UK), “Federal principles of cooperation and the rise mega-regional economic agreements: Canada as a trend setterâ€
  • Maryna POLATAIKO (Law student, Ã山ǿ¼é), “Ulysses' Dagger: Section 33, Federalism, and the Siren Callâ€
  • Laurence SAINT-PIERRE HARVEY (LL.M. candidate, Ã山ǿ¼é), “Pour une réforme du Sénat canadien guidée par une reconnaissance de la diversité : perspectives sud-africaines et éthiopiennesâ€
  • Julia SCHULZE (Ph.D. candidate, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany), “Intergovernmental Agreements between the German ³¢Ã¤²Ô»å±ð°ùâ€
  • Legesse TIGABU MENGIE (LL.M. 2016, Erasmus University, The Netherlands), “Federalism as an instrument for unity and protection of minorities: A comparative analysis on constitutional principles and their practical implications: Ethiopia, India and the USâ€
  • Arash VAKILI (Law student, Osgoode Hall), “Toward a Stable Federal Regimeâ€
  • Thomas VERELLEN (Ph.D. candidate, University of Leuven, Belgium), “Federalism and Treaty Enforcement in the European Union. Letters from Americaâ€
  • Catherine XHARDEZ (Ph.D. candidate, Université Saint-Louis, Belgium, and Sciences Po, Paris, France), “How Do Nationalist Political Elites Consider Immigrant Integration within Multinational Democracies? The Case of Belgium"
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