The reversal of dynamics of Belgian federalism: the points of views of political elites

Since the 1970s, Belgium has so far undergone six state reforms that gradually modified the Belgian federation. Negotiations and various conflicts between the elites of the two large communities have been both a cause and a consequence of Belgium's federalization. In fact, each reform of the state seems to have increased demands for further regionalization, known in Belgium as "defederalization of competencies". However, in recent years, as the Belgian federal model seems to experience a reversal of centrifugal dynamics. Indeed, political elites have increasingly advocated the "re-federalization" of certain competences, promoting efficiency and homogeneity. The goal of this paper is to explore longitudinally the positions as well as the argumentation logic used by political elites in favor of de-federalization or re-federalization of competences. The aim of this paper is a longitudinal analysis of the positions of the political elites in favor of de-federalization or re-federalization in Belgium. The longitudinal analysis through a critical frame analysis is carried out on the electoral manifestos of Belgian political parties, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, on the interventions of political elites in the written press from the early 2000s until the last federal and regional elections in 2019