Multinational federations in comparative perspective

Abstract

Since federation involves a combination of elements of ‘self-rule’ for the constituent units for certain purposes and ‘shared rule’ through common institutions for certain other purposes, it will be the contention of this chapter that the form which each of these two aspects takes in an individual multinational federation has a crucial bearing on its relative effectiveness. Thus, the mere adoption of federation or not does not give the full picture. The organization of ‘self-rule’ for the constituent units may take a variety of forms, and the particular form has a direct effect upon the effective operation of a multinational federation. Similarly, ‘shared rule’ in the common institutions may take a variety of institutional forms and processes, and these too significantly affect the operation of a multinational federation.