This edited collection started with a simple question: how do modern feder­ations manage interdependence and cooperation?

Traditionally, the answer to this question can be found in Riker (1964) or Dahl (1986) or Livingston (1952). Yet, as the chapters in this volume have demonstrated, perhaps the machinations of federalism are more complex than those definitions allow.

The arguments made in this volume reflect the ongoing discussion about the key drivers of federalism. Indeed, these arguments reflect those seminal debates between Riker (1964, 1987, 1996), Livingston (1952, 1956), Dahl (1986) and Wheare (1963) more than half a century ago. Encouragingly, those debates are as relevant today as when they were written; conversely, despite this over­whelming scholarly attention, we remain with an uneasy tension between strict legalism and sociological approaches to studying federalism.

This concluding chapter unfolds in three parts. First, it re-engages with those classical thinkers about federalism, considering what they thought fed­erations and federalism should be. Second, it engages with the chapters in this volume, highlighting points of similarity and difference with those classical scholars. Finally, it suggests some avenues for future research based on the authors' contributions.