Then follows an analysis of federalism theory and neofunctionalism. The final chapter also presents a definitive assessment of federal theory. This forms the bedrock of the modern literature on the concept and remains today the most common point of departure for scholars working in the field. Unlike in a unitary state, sovereignty in federal political orders is noncentralized, often constitutionally, between at least two levels so that units at each level have final authority and can be self governing in some issue area.
To look for a continuation of harmony between a number of independent unconnected sovereignties situated in the same neighbourhood, would be to disregard the uniform course of human events and to set ad defiance the accumulated experience of ages. Especially that nigeria is confronted with the challenges of federalism, restructuring and national question. Providing both a detailed theoretical examination and fresh case studies, it clearly distinguishes between federation, a particular kind of state, and federalism, the thinking that drives and promotes it. Federalism is a system of government where two levels of government exist, each sovereign in its sphere of jurisdiction. Federalism presupposes the existence of diverse people with. Grew out of the new deal fdr, 1930s and the great society policies lbj, 1960s three elements of cooperative federalism. Edt jim blumstein, professor of law at vanderbilt university council of state governments. Subsequent scholars after wheare began to analyse his work and reinterpreted, especially, his federal principle, as federalism. The indian federalism is unique in nature and is tailored according to the specific needs of the country. Watts, the principle of organization whereby a compromise is. The outstanding exponents of the classical theory were dicey, harrison moore, jethrow brown, bryce, robert garran and k. The chapter provides a brief intellectual biography of wheare and examines in detail his major contribution to the study of federalism.
It is not easy to draw a line between what is state and what is federal e. Growth and prosperity virtual summit april 14, 2011 james f. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well. Burgess, however, is interested in the intellectual history of federalism as an idea. Wheare and the federal principle oxford scholarship. One argument of this article is to understand federalism theory as a regional integration theory. In order to discuss federalism at a theoretical level at least, it is necessary to dene it. The theory, practice and current trends in federalism. Wheare insists on the independent status of the federating states, in the definition of birch there is no such prerequisite. See, on this, kenneth wheare, federalism and the making of nations, in a.
The second opinion indian system is not a federal system the second opinion is that the indian system is a nonfederal system. It relies on the theory of intergovernmental relations as an explanatory variable. Whatever the case may be, the pluralist theory of federalism has still stand the taste of time. Nature of the indian constitution judicial exposition. Arts and social sciences journal omics international. It concludes that since different countries that adopt the federal principle, are different in many. A normative theory and its practical relevance is an innovative attempt to defend federalism as a desirable institutional form for contemporary democracies by means of a tightly argued, coherent normative theory, which is applied to case studies of conflict resolution around the world. However, be that as it may, to daniel 2007, it means several varieties of political arrangement in nigeria to which the term federalism has properly been applied. In spite of this confusion, we can still conceptualize federalism. Its distinctive feature, exemplified in the founding example of modern federalism by the united states under the constitution of 1787, is a. His distinctive approach to and understanding of federalism is revealed and a textual exegesis of his major works on federalism is conducted that furnishes the basis for identifying the normative federal values and principles generally implicit in his work on the federal principle. The federal or central level takes care of all of those things that are common to the whole of the country while the other level of government provincial, state or canton has jurisdiction over those things that are of local. Spanning the seventeenth through twentyfirstcenturies of european, u.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Theories of federalism federalism is a political system where local units of government, as well as the national government, can all make final decisions with respect to some governmental activities. Nature of the indian constitution,judicial exposition. The smallest is st kitts and nevis 261 km 2 followed by micronesia 702 km some have very large populations. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Pdf federalism as a political ideology and system of. Federalism is the theory or advocacy of federal principles for dividing powers between member units and common institutions. Writing on federalism, wheare 1963 in obiajulu and obi 2010. The modern writers, instead, talk about cooperative federalism wherein the relationship between the two sets of governments is one of the mutual cooperation and. Federalism is a concept considered in political science as a classical form of government, especially when viewed next to the unitary form. As an ideology on one hand, federalism performs not only the function of explaining and orientating people. The several definitions of federalism in current use the seminal attempt at defining federalism was made by wheare in his 1946 work federal government. C wheare, is the method of dividing powers so that the. The theory, practice and current trends in federalism obi, emeka anthony ph.
Variety of federations 25 countries and 40% of world population and 50% of surface of earth. The evolution, development and practice of federalism in. Robert howse and karen knop, federalism, secession, and the limits of ethnic accommodation. In fact, the problem is sufciently complex that no mere denition will sufce. Coercive, cooperative, and collaborative federalism in. Federalism and contending issues in contemporary nigeria. Indian constitution at work federalism in nigeria if the regions and various communities do not trust each other, even a federal arrangement can fail to produce unity.
Federal government, as the method of dividing power so that general and regional governments are each within a sphere coordinate and independent. Since it can be applied to explain the operations and functioning of contemporary federal unions. Justice anthony kennedy, concurring in united states v. The concept federalism in political science, like many other concepts in the social sciences, is without a universally accepted definition. Castaldi roberto, 2007, a federalist framework theory of european integration. Dureleys conceptualization of federalism as a division of powers between a central government and several regions of state. It is imperative that we assess wheares major work on federal government. Well, its a funny thing to define federalism because it is something that defines the constitutional system. Etymologically, the expression federation has been derived.
The history of federalism stems from the formation of confederations that sought to give more powers to their central governments. The theory and practice of federalism international journal of. Students will demonstrate their understanding of federalism by deciding which levels of government has the power to act in. Proin gravida dolor sit amet lacus accumsan et viverra justo commodo. The classic definition of federalism is that offered by k. In theory liberals supposedly fear state autonomy, want uniform national laws to ensure justice and equality, for example in the introduction and nationalization of civil rights laws, while conservatives purportedly want state autonomy for sake of more liberty reagans new federalism, devolution.
Indeed, some theorists claim that the proportion could be much higher. Rethinking the concept in this way points to the need to reject the currently fashionable broad definition following elazar in favour of a return to a narrow differentiated definition following wheare. Wherare, an anglosaxon scholar and writer, who is regarded as the dean and doyen of classical federalism having elevated the status of federalism to theory. Federalism, restructuring and national question in. Yet people disagree as to whether it is a practical policy or an underlying principle. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers of federalism, devolution, comparative politics and government. This immediately raises a number of the complexities that beset this subject and that mechanistic discussions of it tend to ignore or obscure. The constitution of india is not an end but a means to an end, not mere democracy as a political project but a sociojuridical process which opens up through a humanist, radical social order, the opportunity to unfold the full personhood of every citizen.
Clearly, clearly, in the minds of the advocates there is no clear form yet to speak of. Government, there followed a flood of comparative studies. In the early twentyrst century, according to many political theorists, this same proportion of the world is governed by federal arrangement. Federalism is the mixed or compound mode of government, combining a general government the central or federal government with regional governments provincial, state, cantonal, territorial or other subunit governments in a single political system. Federalism, nationalism, and multiculturalism springerlink. Wheare, who described the federal principle as the method of dividing powers so that the general and regional governments are each within a sphere co ordinate and independent. This project pulls together classic and modern readings and essays that explore theories of federalism. The historical development of comparative federal studies. Another is to look at federalism theory as complementary to neofunctionalism when trying to explain regional integration. Students are to discover what, how and why federalism is used in the united states. From a geographic point of view, federalism belongs rather to the new world, i.
Apart from theory, federalism has also its geography and history, which is evident if one bears in mind that it most frequently appears in certain historical eras and on certain continents, more often than somewhere else. Wh livingston offered sociological postulations to the emergence of federalism, by stressing the social, cultural, ethnic and historical. Dicey coordinated by scholars such as william livingstone, karl deautsch, william kicker etzoni, carl fredrick, a. Statefederal relations in an era of austerity thursday, april 14 3. The largest is the russian federation 17m km 2, canada 9. Lopez 1995 federalism is the most important political device for the regulation and. Federalism is a basic feature of the constitution of india in which the union of india is permanent and indestructible. In other words, discussion on contemporary federalism usually starts with k. C and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In fact, the constitution of india is a federal constitution with a strong centre. To start with, nigerias federalism fundamentally violated b. Till 1914, northern and southern nigeria were two separate british colonies. Comparative federalism uses a comparative approach to explore the contemporary nature and meanings of federalism and federation.
1397 205 1054 459 763 181 1328 216 74 620 1232 427 1337 104 307 1270 1210 1463 1394 826 997 1434 521 377 241 344 342 1489 1035 656 1471 389 1083 498 385 559 237