DOCSLIB.ORG

English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms 2014

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms 2014 English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms 2014 The English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms aims to provide clear, value-neutral and culturally sensitive federalism terms relevant in the context of Nepal’s federalization process. This revised edition of the Glossary has some additional terminologies not included in the fi rst edition. It is a joint effort of Nepalese and International subject matter experts with assistance from International IDEA, SPCBN/UNDP and the Forum of Federations. o; cu|]hL–g]kfnL zAbfjnLdf g]kfnsf] ;ª\3Ls/0f k|s[ofsf] ;Gbe{;Fu ;Da4 :ki6, d"No–lgikIf / ;f+:s[lts ;Dj]bgzLn ;ª\3Lotf;DaGwL zAbx? k|bfg ul/Psf] 5 . of] kl/dflh{t÷k"gM d'lb|t zAbfjlndf k|yd ;+:s/0fdf ;dfa]; gePsf s]lx yk zAbfjnLx? ;dfa]; ul/Psf 5g\ . of] zAbfjnL g]kfnL / cGt/f{li6«o ljifoj:t' lj1x?sf] ;+o'Qm k|oTg xf], h;nfO{ OG6/g];gn cfOl8of, P;kL;LaLPg÷o"Pg8LkL / kmf]/d ckm km]8]/];G;n] ;xof]u u/]sf ;ª\3Lotf;DaGwL cª\u| 5g\ . ] hL—g ] kfnL zAbfjnL @)&! English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms 2014 ;ª\3Lotf;DaGwL cª\u|]hL—g]kfnL zAbfjnL @)&! English Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms 2014 ;ª\3Lotf;DaGwL cª\u|]hL–g]kfnL zAbfjnL @)&! © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Support to © OG6/g];gn cfOl8of, P;kL;LaLPg÷o"Pg8LkL / kmf]/d ckm km]8]/];G; Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal (SPCBN)/UNDP and the Forum of @)!$ Federations 2014. Th is revised edition of the glossary is a joint publication by International Institute for of] kl/dflh{t÷k"gM d'b|Lt zAbfjnL nf]stGq tyf lgjf{rg ;xof]usf Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), Support to Participatory nflu cGt/f{li6«o ;+:yf -OG6/g];gn cfOl8of_, g]kfndf ;xeflutfd'ns Constitution Building in Nepal (SPCBN)/UNDP and Forum of Federations. Th is ;+ljwfg lgdf{0f ;xof]u kl/of]hgf -;+o'Qm /fi6« ljsf; sfo{s|d_ publication is independent of specifi c national or political interests. Views expressed -P;kL;LaLPg÷o"Pg8LkL_ / kmf]/d ckm km]8]/];G;åf/f ;+o'Qm ?kdf in the publication do not necessarily represent the views of international IDEA, k|sflzt ul/Psf] xf] . of] k|sfzg s'g} /fi6« jf /fhgLlts :jfy{af6 SPCBN/UNDP or the Forum of Federations or their respective board or Council k]|l/t 5}g . o; k|sfzgdf JoQm ljrf/n] OG6/g];gn cfOl8of, members. P;kL;LaLPg÷o"Pg8LkL jf kmf]/d ckm km]8]/];G; jf ltgsf ;~rfns ;ldlt jf kl/ifb\ ;b:ox?sf ljrf/sf] k|ltlglwTj ub{}g . Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: o; k|sfzgsf] k'gM d'b|0f jf ;Dk"0f{ of s'g} c+zsf] cg'jfbsf nflu cg'dlt lng ug{ lgDg 7]ufgfdf lgj]bg lbg'kg]{5 M International IDEA UNDP’s Support to Participatory Forum of Federations SE 103 34 Stockholm Constitution Building in Nepal 411-75 Albert Street International IDEA UNDP’s Support to Participatory Forum of Federations Ottawa, ON KIP 5E7 Sweden (SPCBN) SE 103 34 Stockholm Constitution Building in Nepal 411-75 Albert Street Tara House Canada Sweden (SPCBN) Ottawa, ON KIP 5E7 Sanepa, Lalitpur, Nepal Tara House Canada Sanepa, Lalitpur, Nepal International IDEA, SPCBN/UNDP and Forum of Federations encourage OG6/g];gn cfOl8of, P;kL;LaLPg÷o"Pg8LkL / kmf]/d ckm km]8]/];G; dissemination of their work and will promptly respond to requests for permission cfkm\gf sfo{sf] ;"rgf ;Dk|]if0fnfO{ k|f]T;fxg ub{5g\ / logsf to reproduce or translate their publications. k|sfzgx?nfO{ k'gM d'b|0f jf cg'jfbsf nflu cg'/f]w ul/Pdf t'?Gt hjfkm lbg]5g\ . Designed by: Subarna Humagai u|flkms l8hfOg ;'j0f{ x'dfufO{ ISBN : 978-91-87729-78-2 ISBN : 978-91-87729-78-2 Foreword Many people in Nepal see federalism as a way to those involved in drafting the Constitution and empower communities and regions marginalized by other laws should have a common understanding the centralization of power, and to acknowledge and of diff erent terms used in the elaboration of specifi c further promote the country’s religious, linguistic federal arrangements. Th ere should also be a com- and ethical diversity. mon understanding of the practical implications of choosing specifi c terms. Th e words and formulations Since a federal system is something new to Nepal, used in legal texts need to be chosen with care, with constitution makers face a number of challenges re- the understanding that they will be subject to review lated to, among other things, deciding on the num- and interpretation over time. Today, the drafting of a ber and boundaries of constituent units; the divi- constitution and supporting legislation also calls for sion of power between the central government and a special style of writing accessible to ordinary people the units; criteria for resource allocation; rights of and not only to a select group of judges and lawyers. minorities; and implementation of federal arrange- ments. Understanding federalism and discussing its Th e fi rst edition of this glossary was published in key issues and options are at the core of the current 2009, when the discourse of federalism was new in constitution making debate. Nepal. Since then, numerous discourses both inside and outside of the fi rst (2008-2012) and second While a federal system is generally seen as an appro- (2013-2017) Constituent Assemblies have taken priate framework for a country as diverse as Nepal, place in Nepal, resulting in some new federal termi- translating the concept into constitutional language nologies being developed to provide a better unders- requires signifi cant technical support. In order to re- tanding of federalism by both the law makers and fl ect the intention of citizen as ‘constitution makers’, the public. It is in this context that it was considered appropriate and timely to publish revised edition of and the Forum of Federations which resulted in the this glossary to help everyone better understand the fi rst edition. Th is edition is the product of previous key terms, used in federal arrangements. collaborators with the addition of United Nations Development Program—Support Program to Th is new edition of the Glossary contains defi nitions Constitution Building in Nepal (UNDP-SPCBN). for 316 federal terms in both English and Nepali. It is a testament to the commitment of all parties Th ese defi nitions were suggested by constitutional to provide technical support to the constitution ma- experts across Nepal and include sixteen more than king process of Nepal. the fi rst edition. Th e Glossary will be of use to all those involved in constitution making, including members of the Constituent Assembly, as well as to the general public. In addition to fostering a com- mon understanding of the key terms used in fede- ral arrangements, the Glossary will serve as a tool to explain federal concepts to individuals and groups as they engage in the process of responding to the pro- visions of the draft and fi nal constitution of Nepal. Yves Leterme Secretary-General Th is publication builds upon an International IDEA International IDEA A Glossary of Constitutional Terms published in 2008 September 2014 and on the remarkable teamwork undertaken by Ne- palese Constitutional experts, International IDEA k|fSsyg clwsf+z hgtfx¿ ;ª\||3LotfnfO{ zlQmsf] s]Gb|Ls/0fsf tyf cGo sfg'gx? d:of}bf ug]{ sfo{df ;+nUg /x]sf sf/0f ;LdfGts[t ;d'bfo tyf If]qx¿sf] ;zQmLs/0f ug]{ JolQmx¿df ;ª\|3Lotf ;DaGwL ljlzi6 Joj:yfx?sf] JofVof / b]zsf] wfld{s, eflifs tyf hftLo ljljwtfnfO{ :jLsf/ ug{ k|of]udf cfpg] ljleGg zAb zAbfjnLx?sf ] ;femf 1fg u/L cem k|jw{g ug{] pkfosf ¿kdf x]b{5g\ . x'g'k5{ . o;sf] ;fy} To:tf ljlzi6 zAb zAbfjnLsf] 5gf}6 ug{'sf kl5lNt/ /x]sf] Jofjxfl/s tfTko{sf] ;femf g]kfnsf ;Gbe{df ;ª||\3Lo k|0ffnL gofF ljifo ePsfn] ;dem klg x'g'k5{ . sfg'gL lnvtx?df k|of]u ul/g] zAb ;+ljwfg lgdf{tfx¿sf ;fd' cGo s'/fsf cltl/St ;ª\3Lo / ;"qx? 5gf}6 ubf{ ;dosf] s|ddf ltgsf] ;dLIff tyf PsfOx¿sf] ;ª\Vof / l;dfgf, s]Gb|Lo / PsfO ;/sf/x¿lar JofVof ul/g] s'/fsf] x]Ssf /fvL xf]l;ofl/k'j{s 5gf]6 ug{' zlQm ljefhg, cNk;ªVosx¿sf clwsf/x¿ tyf ;ª\3Lo h?/L 5 . cfh ;+ljwfg tyf ;dy{gsf/L sfg'gx?sf] k|aGwx?sf] sfof{Gjog;Fu ;DalGwt cg]sf} r'gf}tLx? d:of}bf ubf{ logdf GofofwLz / jlsn h:tf ljlzi6 /x]sf 5g\ . ;ª||\3LotfnfO{ a'‰g] / o;sf 7f]; d'2f tyf ;d"xsf] dfq kx'r geO{ ;j{;fwf/0f dflg;x?sf] ;d]t ljsNkx¿af/] 5nkmn ug]{ s'/f g} ;+ljwfg lgdf{0f ;DaGwL kx'Fr xf];\ eGgsf nflu ljz]if k|sf/sf] n]vg z}nLdf Wofg rfn' ax;sf] r'/f] s'/f xf] . lbg' klg h?/L 5 . g]kfn h:tf] ljljwtfo'Qm b]zsf nflu ;ª||\3Lo k|0fflnnfO{ g]kfndf ;ª\3Lotf ljifos 5nkmn e/v/} ;'? xF'bf ;g\ ;fdfGotof Pp6f pko'Qm zf;sLo 9fFrfsf] ¿kdf x]l/Psf] @))( lt/ o; zAbfjnLsf] klxnf] ;+:s/0f k|sflzt ePsf] xF'bf, o; wf/0ffnfO{ ;+j}wflgs efiffdf 9fNg pNn]Vo lyof] . To;j]nfb]lv g} ;ª\3Lotfaf/] ;j{;fwf/0f hgtf k|ljlws ;xof]u cfjZos x'g cfpF5 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Efficiency in the Multinational Federal Republic
    www.ssoar.info Efficiency in the multinational federal republic Gregoire, Jean-Francois Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Gregoire, J.-F. (2014). Efficiency in the multinational federal republic. Federal Governance, 11(1), 24-40. https://nbn- resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-440899 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Basic Digital Peer Publishing-Lizenz This document is made available under a Basic Digital Peer zur Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den DiPP-Lizenzen Publishing Licence. For more Information see: finden Sie hier: http://www.dipp.nrw.de/lizenzen/dppl/service/dppl/ http://www.dipp.nrw.de/lizenzen/dppl/service/dppl/ Efficiency in the Multinational Federal Republic by Jean-François Grégoire KU Leuven Email: [email protected] Abstract: In this paper, I address the division of competences and the self- determination of stateless political communities in a less parochial and more holistic way than they have been addressed within political philosophy. To do so, I will attempt to clarify the meaning of Pareto efficiency principle, which stipulates roughly that the well-being of one individual cannot be improved at the expense of another. As I go along, I will try to show how the approach adopted here is distinct from the redistributive and libertarian views. I will argue that liberal philosophers who have discussed redistribution and fiscal federalism have been guilty of approaching these issues through statist and redistributive paradigms inherited from Rawls and his theory of justice (1971). As the capacity of regions to effectively pursue justice depends not only on the ‘basic structure’ of federations, but also on external factors of which many are encompassed by the term ‘globalization’, sub-units need federalism to divide competences in a way that gives them the means to be efficient in delivering public goods and services to their constituencies.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Issues of Paradiplomacy: Lessons from the Developed World
    DISCUSSION PAPERS IN DIPLOMACY Political Issues of Paradiplomacy: Lessons from the Developed World André Lecours Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ ISSN 1569-2981 DISCUSSION PAPERS IN DIPLOMACY Editors: Virginie Duthoit & Ellen Huijgh, Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ Managing Editor: Jan Melissen, Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ and Antwerp University Desk top publishing: Desiree Davidse Editorial Board Geoff Berridge, University of Leicester Rik Coolsaet, University of Ghent Erik Goldstein, Boston University Alan Henrikson, Tufts University Donna Lee, Birmingham University Spencer Mawby, University of Nottingham Paul Sharp, University of Minnesota Duluth Copyright Notice © André Lecours, December 2008 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy, or transmission of this publication, or part thereof in excess of one paragraph (other than as a PDF file at the discretion of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’) may be made without the written permission of the author. ABSTRACT Regional governments can be international actors. This phenomenon of regional governments developing international relations, often called ‘paradiplomacy,’ has been most visible in Western industrialized liberal- democracies. In thinking about paradiplomacy in developing and post- communist countries, considering the experience of regions such as Quebec, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Flanders and Wallonia could be instructive for understanding the logic of this activity, highlighting key choices that need to be made, and pointing out potential challenges stemming from the development by sub-state units of international relations. This paper begins by distinguishing between three layers of paradiplomacy and makes the argument that paradiplomacy can be a multifunctional vehicle for the promotion of interests and identity. It then discusses the various choices that have to be made when developing a paradiplomacy, including designing new structures and selecting partners.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity, Democracy and Federalism: Issues, Options and Opportunities June 7-9, 2011 at Kathmandu, Nepal
    Regional Conference on Diversity Theme: Diversity, Democracy and Federalism: issues, options and opportunities June 7-9, 2011 at Kathmandu, Nepal Key Note Speech and Canadian Model: Mr. Rupak Chattopadhyay, President and CEO Forum of Federations Good morning every one, and thank you Zafar and Katherine for a vey lucid words of welcome, I regret very much that this seminar is not in Islamabad, primarily because Nepal is a very active program country for the Forum of Federations, so I will be constantly pulled out of the seminar over the course of the next three days. I would have liked to stay through the entire program. Nevertheless, I am glad that we could put this together. As you all know that the Forum of Federations through its activities in Pakistan has been active on issues of diversity. Indeed the Forum itself was founded in Canada in 1999 in the context of a challenge to Canadian unity posed by its diversity in 1996. The separtist referendum in Quebec almost split the country. It was in that context that the government of Canada set up the Forum of Federations to bring together like minded countries grappling with the issues of unity and diversity. Countries who could sit around the table and share experiences on how they deal with the issue of diversity in their own context and share practices both best practices but also worst practices because we can learn as much from bad practices as we can from best practices. My remarks this morning will be in two parts. First, I will make some general observations about how federal structures respond to challenges posed by diversity in a comparative context and then, I will draw from the Canadian example to high light how we are coping with matters of diversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF FEDERAL FINANCES IN INDIA by K. Gopa Kumar* *Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation Kaimanam, Pappanamcode (PO), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India Email: [email protected] Abstract: The paper confirms that the provisions of fiscal federalism laid out in the Indian Constitution are connected to the legacy of the British rule in India. Applying historical analysis the author divides the period from the starting of British imperial administration in India to the enactment of Indian Constitution into five different phases on the basis of the evolution of Centre-Province financial relations. The principles of fiscal federalism in India gradually evolved from highly centralized fiscal governance during the initial period of the British rule until being manifested in the Constitution. Various parliamentary enactments, executive directions, committees and commissions as well as individual intervention contributed to this transformation. The paper further lays out the unique features of the Indian Constitution such as mutually exclusive tax domains and various mechanisms addressing fiscal imbalances due to the Government of India Act of 1935 enacted by the British Parliament. It concludes that while British authorities designed the system of fiscal administration in India after their preferences, the makers of the Indian Constitution preferred to retain the same provisions with minor variations in the Constitution of independent India. Keywords : fiscal federalism, India, history Gopa Kumar, K. 2012, “Historical Evolution of Federal Finances in India”, Federal Governance”, vol. 9 no. 2, pp. 27-44. About Federal Governance Federal Governance is an online graduate journal on theory and politics of federalism and multi-level governance. Its mandate is to engage the global federalism community and reach out to outstanding graduate students interested in federalism and multi-level governance.
    [Show full text]
  • Implementing Federalism
    Constitutional INSIGHTS No. 2 October 2018 Summary Federalism or devolution involves the Implementing Federalism organization of public power so that government, on at least two levels, is responsive and accountable to the Introduction people that it serves. More than 25 countries around the world operate as More than 25 countries around the world operate as a federation of some a federation of some kind. Many more kind. Many more devolve power in other ways, across the country or in devolve power in other ways, either particular regions with special autonomy. Some of the older federations across the country or in particular are well-established; India, Malaysia and Pakistan are examples. Others regions with special autonomy. This are much more recent, however. Many new constitutions provide for issue of Constitutional INSIGHTS federation or some form of devolution. In Asia and the Pacific, for explains why any change from a example, the new Constitution of Nepal establishes a federation, and centralized to a federal or devolved federalism is under consideration in Myanmar, the Philippines and system is a significant one. It also Solomon Islands. outlines some of the challenges that Federalism or devolution involves the organization of public power so arise in the context of such change, that government on at least two levels is responsive and accountable to and suggests options that might be the people that it serves. There are all sorts of reasons why countries available to meet them. and their peoples might find that arrangements like this offer benefits that a centralized system of government does not. Federations may be About this series established to assist democratisation; as a way of resolving conflict; as a framework for self-determination; to disperse concentrations of power; to The Melbourne Forum on Constitution- manage government in large countries; or for any combination of these or Building in Asia and the Pacific other reasons.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Spirit and Multilayered Federalism Public Lecture at the Myanmar Peace Centre Yangon, 18 November 2013 I Would Like to B
    Federal Spirit and Multilayered Federalism Public Lecture at the Myanmar Peace Centre Yangon, 18 November 2013 I would like to begin by thanking the MPC and Myanmar EGRESS for inviting me to speak in Yangon today. I am informed that in the last week MPC has hosted a couple of the world’s top public speakers – former President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair. So I have very high standards to live up to! It is indeed a privilege for me to learn from this process of historic political transformation here in Myanmar and share with you some experiences from other countries where the Forum of Federations has worked since its founding. I will speak for about 20 minutes this afternoon and explore what some have called the federal idea, or federal spirit and the impact that this ideas has had on the governance of diverse societies. Let me state at the very outset that even though I am a product of federal systems– I was born in India, grew up in Nigeria, studied in the US and now live in Canada - I am not here as an advocate or salesman for federalism. I use the phrase federal idea rather than federalism. This is because adding the suffix –ism to a word has a way of limiting understanding and debate, and to most people signals an systemic ideology like communism or capitalism. But, there is no one correct way to be federal. Indeed each federation is unique and different – some have parliamentary systems, others are presidential, some are large (India), others small (Switzerland), some are ethnically diverse, others are not, some have voting systems based on majoritarian first-past- the-post system, others have proportional representation.
    [Show full text]
  • Outlooks for the Legal Framing of Paradiplomacy: the Case of Brazil Andrade E Barros, Marinana
    www.ssoar.info Outlooks for the legal framing of paradiplomacy: the case of Brazil Andrade e Barros, Marinana Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Andrade e Barros, M. (2010). Outlooks for the legal framing of paradiplomacy: the case of Brazil. Federal Governance, 7(1), 39-49. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-342376 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Basic Digital Peer Publishing-Lizenz This document is made available under a Basic Digital Peer zur Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den DiPP-Lizenzen Publishing Licence. For more Information see: finden Sie hier: http://www.dipp.nrw.de/lizenzen/dppl/service/dppl/ http://www.dipp.nrw.de/lizenzen/dppl/service/dppl/ OUTLOOKS FOR THE LEGAL FRAMING OF PARADIPLOMACY: THE CASE OF BRAZIL by Marinana Andrade e Barros International Law Center Brasil, Brasil Email: [email protected] Abstract: The last decades have seen a deepening of paradiplomacy which is an especially important phenomenon for the federal states. This development became a source of change in the constitutions of federal states in order to trace prospects and limits for such process. Brazil is part of the group of states where non-central governments reaching beyond the national borders have occurred without a legal framework specific to the issue. In a federal state known for its centralization like Brazil such discussion can be harsh but its relevance to local and regional development and to the balance of the federative pact turns is necessary. Keywords: Paradiplomacy, Brasil, federalism. Marinana Andrade e Barros 2010, “Outlooks for the legal framing of Paradiplomacy: The case of Brazil”, Federal Governance, vol.
    [Show full text]
  • A Forum of Federations Perspective
    Federal Governance 2019, 15(02): pp. 33-35. 33 Relevance of the Federal Idea: A Forum of Federations Perspective Rupak Chattopadhyay1 Rupak Chattopadhyay is the President and CEO of the Forum of Federations whose mission is to strengthen inclusive and responsive governance in federal, decentralized and transitioning countries. The Forum of Federations is the sponsor of this journal. When the decision to establish the Forum of in all of these countries what matters is that Federations was made in 1999, founder Canada had constitutional arrangements have certain clearly just survived a major existential crisis. In 1995, the identifiable features. second referendum on Quebec independence Current Context almost lead to the breakup of the country. Therefore, the contribution that federalism (or more accurately, The last twenty years have coincided with a the federal idea or federal spirit) can make to national resurgence of the federal idea mainly due to the unity and democratic consolidation has been at the revolutions in the politics of identity and human heart of the organization’s work since its founding. I rights, the impact of the technological revolution, and prefer the term federal idea rather than federalism the socio-economic changes we associate with because there is no one correct way to be federal. globalization. More countries are either looking at Each federation is unique; a product of its own social federalism or borrowing from the federalism toolkit to and historical realities. Some federations have restructure the state – such as Iraq, Kenya, parliamentary systems (Belgium), others are Myanmar, Nepal, Spain, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and presidential (Brazil), some are large (India), others the UK.
    [Show full text]
  • Autonomism and Federalism
    Publius: The Journal of Federalism Advance Access published May 27, 2011 Autonomism and Federalism Jaime Lluch* *European Studies Center, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford; [email protected] This article aims to understand autonomism as an ideology of territorial order and institutional design. In particular, I ask whether the theory and practice of autonomism is consonant with federalist principles. ‘‘Autonomism’’ is a normative term that advocates the use of autonomist principles, and it has an intricate relationship with federalism, but is generally distinct from it. Autonomists are wary of federalism because they believe it has homogenizing and uniformizing tendencies. Autonomism as an ideology of territorial order and institutional design exhibits a number of clear anti-federalist stances, but yet it is based on the general federalist principle that multiple levels of government can lead to better governance in multinational states. To this com- Downloaded from plex anti-federalist and federalist hybrid stance, autonomism adds a nuanced anti-secessionism stance. publius.oxfordjournals.org Autonomism In many multinational democracies, models of federation are the preferred insti- tutional configuration to address the complexities of multinationalism, and much by guest on May 30, 2011 of the scholarly literature echoes this preference for federation (Keating 2004; Hechter 2000; Norman 2006; Kymlicka 1998; Gibbins et al. 1998; Stepan 2001; Burgess and Gagnon 1993; Elazar 1987; Watts 2008; McRoberts 1997; Griffiths et al. 2005; Gagnon and Iacovino 2007; Karmis and Norman 2005).1 Yet, there are autonomist national parties in sub-state national societies that reject a model of federation as an appropriate institutional design to address their needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Regional Conference on Federalism and Decentralization in the East Africa UNECA, Addis Ababa
    Regional Conference on Federalism and Decentralization in the East Africa UNECA, Addis Ababa Democratic Federalism and Accommodating Diversity Rupak Chattopadhyay Opening Address 25 February 2013 Accommodating diversity is a key issue of our times. It preoccupies policy makers the world over. Debates about ethnic, national, linguistic, religious, and economic diversity and its accommodation in viable and legitimate institutional structures has become a concern for established and emerging democracies alike. Diversities however, should not be considered a burden, but an asset that states can build upon. Indeed, one has to consider diversities as an opportunity for states that are enriched by different languages, cultures, religions and traditions. Since its founding, the Forum of Federations has been increasingly drawn to work on the ‘diversity question’ in its partner countries – which include both developing as well as established democracies. Whereas issues of cultural, racial, religious, and linguistic diversity are more pronounced in some countries than others, the issues of socioeconomic diversity (and indeed how they are bridged) concerns all federal or devolved systems. The overlap between economic and social markers of diversity can complicate policy making and indeed polarize the politics of a country – the dispute in Iraq over the ownership of Kurdish oilfields, or exploitation of oil in the Niger delta by outsiders are well known examples, as indeed is the case of oil related conflict in Sudan. Over the last fifty years, many countries have come to craft institutional arrangements, albeit imperfect ones, for dealing with such issues. This has become necessary since these markers of identity can either not be changed, or can only be changed by violating fundamental human rights, such as religion or language.
    [Show full text]
  • Background Paper
    International Conference on Federalism Mont-Tremblant, October 1999 BACKGROUND PAPER FEDERALISM AND ECONOMIC POLICY-MAKING: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE FEDERAL MODEL John Kincaid Robert B. & Helen S. Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government Lafayette College Federalism, in its modern form, emerged at about the same time as the formulation of the concept of a market economy. One reason for founding a federal union was to create a common market that would permit a free flow of commerce among diverse political communities. By lowering trade barriers between political communities, by mitigating independent and self-aggrandizing economic policy-making within those communities, and by utilizing the resources of the whole country, a common market would foster economic prosperity and national integration. Given that a market needs a governmental framework, even if only a limited one, to maintain the rule of law, protect property, and enforce contracts, constitutional federalism emerged as a way to provide a limited, overarching governmental framework for a common market while still preserving significant powers and functions for the political communities that joined the union. The resulting division and sharing of powers (or competences) between a general union government and the constituent political communities could resolve not only the need to restrain the power of both the union government and the constituent governments for the sake of market freedom but also the cultural and political demands of the constituent political communities for the preservation of their governmental integrity. Such objectives partly motivated the founding of the United States of America in the late eighteenth century, and significantly motivated the founding of the European Union in the late twentieth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Theory Working Paper
    Political Theory Working Paper Número 11 Capital cities of federations. On the way to analysing the normative base of their asymmetrical status Klaus-Jürgen Nagel [email protected] Desembre 2011 GRUP DE RECERCA EN TEORIA POLÍTICA Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona 1 Abstract: Federal Capitals often have special statutes. Compared with member states, they often enjoy a lower degree of self-government and a lesser share in the governing of the federation. Why do actors choose such devices, and how can they be justified in a liberal democracy? Surprisingly, the burgeoning literature on asymmetric federalism (to which our research group has contributed significantly) has overlooked this important feature of a de iure asymmetry, perhaps because political theory up to now has concentrated on cases of multicultural and plurinational federations. However, comparative literature is also rare. This paper is the first step to filling in this gap by comparing some federal capitals. The Federal District model (Washington) is compared to capitals organized as member-states (Berlin and Brussels), and capitals that are cities belonging to a single member state (Ottawa in Ontario). The different features of de iure asymmetry will thereby be highlighted. Some light will be shed on the possible motives, reasons and justifications for the choice of each respective status. The paper opens the door to further research on such status questions by analysing public and parliamentary debates, for example. It paves the way for more thorough research. Sicne the author has been awarded a grant by the Institut d’Estudis Autonòmics, this research will be carried out soon.1 .
    [Show full text]