Multilevel governance during times of emergency: a comparative and case study analysis of power allocation, and the effectiveness of federal - principles and institutional structures in balancing national and local needs.

: Multilevel governance During Times of Emergency

Abstract

A more federal United Kingdom has been proposed as a potential solution to the longstanding tensions within the current devolved system of governance. The Covid-19 pandemic and the UK’s exit from the European Union have magnified the strains on the devolution settlement, exposing weaknesses in coordination and decision-making during constitutional emergencies. These challenges have highlighted the need to reassess the UK’s constitutional structure, particularly considering increasing calls for more autonomy from the devolved nations. This thesis examines whether greater adherence to the principles and institutional structures of federalism could enable the UK to respond to emergency situations, focusing on public health emergencies, in a way that better balances national co-ordination with local needs.
This thesis argues that a more federalised UK could provide a clearer, more balanced and principled distribution of powers. This has the potential to ensure more efficient responses to emergencies at a local level, whilst maintaining unity across the constituent nations. Analysis of the Covid-19 responses of several comparator nations are used as case studies to demonstrate how federal frameworks can assist in balancing regional autonomy with national coordination, offering valuable lessons for the UK as it grapples with the dual pressures of constitutional reform and emergency management. However, the challenges faced in several federal nations, such as constitutional complexity and lack of coordination, fiscal centralisation, inconsistent leadership, and poor intergovernmental relations are also instructive.
This thesis comparatively analyses multilevel governance in the UK, particularly through the lens of the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impacts of the UK’s territorial constitution on the pandemic response in Wales. Using the relationships between devolved Wales, and the UK Government and Westminster Parliament, this thesis analyses how devolution shaped the pandemic response in Wales, and the resulting challenges and opportunities. Through a more detailed case-study comparison with the context of Australian federalism, and the challenges and opportunities it provided for pandemic responses, this thesis examines the extent to which enhancing the UK’s adoption of federal principles and institutional structures could have led to a potentially improved response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The experiences of three other federal nations, the US, Belgium and Nigeria, are then drawn on, to further consider whether greater respect for the principles of federalism, and greater institutionalisation of federal type structures, has the potential to improve responses to national emergencies in the UK.
This thesis focuses on the level of constitutional principle, examining the core constitutional conceptual and institutional features of federalism, and comparing these with the UK’s existing devolution principles and structures. The assessment, at this level of constitutional principle, then focuses on the extent to which these principles and structures appear to be achieving their stated aims, such as fostering effective subsidiarity whilst maintaining social solidarity, ensuring clear divisions of power between institutions, promoting good collaboration, co-ordination and co-operation, and restricting policy failures.
This thesis concludes that the effectiveness of a federal or devolved multilevel system in managing emergencies, and specifically in balancing national coordination and local needs, depends on its design and the relationships between different tiers of government. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that no system is perfect, but lessons from this global emergency provide a roadmap for strengthening governance structures, enhancing preparedness, and building trust between governments and their populations.

Date of Award	27 Feb 2026
Original language	English
Supervisor	Sarah Nason (Supervisor) & Craig Prescott (Supervisor)