This article analyzes the constitutional change in federations that is driven by the bottom-up reform of subnational units' constitutional arrangements as an alternative to the reforms of the federal constitution. Looking at the case of Catalonia's recent reform of its statute of autonomy, it discusses and evaluates some of the benefits and pitfalls of the utilization of substantial subnational constitutional discretion and the likely consequences of this mode of reform for the Spanish model of federalism and others. This is done through the study of the initiation of the Catalan reform process, its content and scope, and through the investigation of the political and institutional factors that account for its occurrence and final outcomes.

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The Spanish model of decentralisation was originally devised to achieve cultural-political recognition for some regions and democracy and economic development for all. This article examines how this approach has evolved since the 1970s and the effectiveness of Spain's regional governance institutions. It concludes that regionalisation has been managed relatively well. Nonetheless, ambiguities surround the relations between tiers of government and questions remain about the institutional capacity of regional bodies and the extent of their discretion over decision making and the allocation of resources

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