Federalism and Sub-National Protectionism: a Comparison of the Internal Trade Regimes of Canada and Australia

Abstract

This paper examines the internal trade regimes of Canada and Australia. Starting in the 1980s, policymakers in both federations began to stress the importance of eliminating internal trade barriers. The paper will offer an explanation for why Australia has had greater success in eliminating internal trade barriers than Canada. Our explanation involves the following factors: a different pattern of judicial action in Australia, differences in the systems of executive federalism in the two countries, and the greater linguistic homogeneity of Australia.