Federalism The Multiethnic Challenge

This book provides a comprehensive and detailed examination of the successes and failures of federalism in a diverse range of multi-ethnic polities and societies.It offers excellent coverage of the experiences of a wide range of contemporary states with specially commissioned contributions from established authorities.An introductory chapter introduces the reader to the nature of federations, the political philosophies that underpin federalism, the characteristics of federal formations, and highlights some of the theories as to why this system of government has failed in some cases to provide ethno-regional stability. A concluding chapter draws upon the findings and examines the prospects for federalism in the light of the acceleration towards greater economic interdependency and local political fragmentation, in the post-Cold War world.

1. Mapping the Federal Condition: Ideology, Political Practice and Social Justice, Graham Smith. Part 1: Federations in Crisis?: 2. Requium for Canada?,Colin Williams.3. Belgium's Regional Divergence: Along the Road to Federation, Alexander Murphy.4. Federalism, Hindu Nationalism and Mythologies of Governance in Modern India, Stuart Corbridge.5. Ethnicity and Territorial Politics in Nigeria, Martin Dent. Part 2 : The Break up of Socialist Federations: 6. Federation, Defederation and Refederation: From the Soviet Union to Russian Statehood, Graham Smith 7. Yugoslavia. Politics, Federation, Nation, Vesna Popovski.8. Czechoslovakia: The End of a Binational State, Robert Kaiser. Part 3: Federations in the Making: 9. Spain: A Federation In the Making?,Montserrat Guibernau.10. Federalism and the Transformation of the South African State, Jennifer Robinson.11. Arresting Federalisation? Europe, Britain, Ireland, James Anderson.12. Postscript: Federalism in the Post-Cold War Era, John Agnew. Index.