Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on the contributors
- Foreword by Charles Taylor
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Justice and stability in multinational democracies
- Part II Struggles over recognition and institutions of accommodation
- Part III Modes of reconciliation and conflict management
- 11 Liberal citizenship in multinational societies
- 12 Nationality in divided societies
- 13 The moral foundations of asymmetrical federalism: a normative exploration of the case of Quebec and Canada
- 14 Federalism and the management of conflict in multinational societies
- References
- Index
14 - Federalism and the management of conflict in multinational societies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on the contributors
- Foreword by Charles Taylor
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Justice and stability in multinational democracies
- Part II Struggles over recognition and institutions of accommodation
- Part III Modes of reconciliation and conflict management
- 11 Liberal citizenship in multinational societies
- 12 Nationality in divided societies
- 13 The moral foundations of asymmetrical federalism: a normative exploration of the case of Quebec and Canada
- 14 Federalism and the management of conflict in multinational societies
- References
- Index
Summary
Introduction
In a special issue of The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science entitled ‘Ethnic Conflict in the World Today’, Martin Heisler argued that ‘the peaceful and effective management of conflict between ethnic groups involves the building of rules and institutions for coexistence in a single society, state and economy’ (Heisler 1977). The question we address in this chapter is: How effective is federalism as an institutional framework for managing these kinds of conflict? In particular, when, and under what conditions, does federalism constitute a stable, enduring solution, rather than a transitional phase on the way either towards secession or centralization? Is it inevitable that federal solutions are unstable? Are some models of federalism more likely to succeed than others and if so, under what conditions?
We will look at one long-standing democratic federal system, Canada, and three newly emerging federal or quasifederal systems, Belgium, Spain and Scotland. All are multinational federations, rather than what Juan Linz calls mononational federations, such as Germany or Australia (Linz 1997b). We will also focus on managing conflict among groups that are territorially concentrated. Federalism itself is not a plausible solution when minorities are spread widely throughout the majority population, although Elkins (1995) has shown that many federalist devices can be used even in these cases.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Multinational Democracies , pp. 338 - 365Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001
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