The good intentions of federalism

The good intentions of federalism


Martyanov V.S.,

Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia, martianov@instlaw.uran.ru


elibrary_id: 223692 | ORCID: 0000-0002-7747-0022 | RESEARCHER_ID: B-7797-2018

Article received: 2023.07.23. Accepted: 2024.01.21


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2024.03.06
EDN: HUBQSL


For citation:

Martyanov V.S. The good intentions of federalism. – Polis. Political Studies. 2024. No. 3. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2024.03.06. EDN: HUBQSL (In Russ.)


The article was supported by the Russian Science Foundation Grant No. 23-18-00427.


Abstract

The article is devoted to substantiating the controversial thesis that federalism is not an autonomous type of political structure. Federations are interpreted as a set of specific failures of different origins in the course of following the basic modern scenario of the formation of a unitary nation-state with a consolidated (civil) political identity. The article has for theoretical basis the actor approach, which interprets the political form of the federation as a derivative result of a conflict pact between the central and peripheral elites. In this methodological perspective, the history of the concept of federalism is examined and a comparative historical analysis of the world federal experience is carried out. As a result, a number of interrelated author's conclusions were formulated. First, it is shown that the original Kantian project of a world federation of states has little in common with federalism, which refers to the description of the internal structure of individual societies. Secondly, the conclusion is substantiated by the fact that in the modern theory of federalism a harmful mainstream tradition has developed, which scales as a normative successful experience the centralizing federalism in the United States. Thirdly, the cultural and historical features of the formation of two families of federations are highlighted and analyzed, one of which is associated with the acquisition of independence by offshoots of the West, and the other was formed by the later processes of the collapse of the colonial empires of the West and the liberation of colonies in Africa and Eurasia. Fourthly, it is argued that the federal political structure at the theoretical level was intended to reconcile, at the basis of the political project of Modernity, the liberal utopia of a universal and culturally homogeneous civil nation and the actual cultural diversity of any modern states, which is a permanent source of erosion of its political sovereignty and differentiation of collective identities. Fifthly, it is proved that all derived political, legal, economic and other signs of federalism are due to one initial problem - the legitimation and subsequent institutionalization of the conflict between the central elite and regional elites, challenging the indivisibility of political sovereignty and demanding political autonomy. Sixth, federalism as a changeable pact of elites in specific historical societies does not provide convincing grounds for its qualification as an autonomous political form compared to a unitary nation-state. The final conclusion is that the political format of federalism in most states is a long-term way of formalizing the political divorce of cultural communities that could not create a common political nation.

Keywords
federalism, unitarianism, liberalism, nation-state, modernity, elite conflict, cultural differentiation, secession, right of nations to self-determination, instrumentalism.


References

Amoretti, H.M., & Bermeo, N. (Ed.). (2004). Federalism and territorial cleavages. Baltimore, London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. https://doi.org/10.7202/013364ar

Beramendi, P. (2007). Federalism. In C. Boix, & S. Stokes (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics (pp. 752-781). Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199566020.003.0031

Brancati, D. (2006). Decentralization: fueling the fire or dampening the flames of ethnic conflict and secessionism? International Organization, 60(3), 651-685. https://doi.org/10.1093/10.1017/S002081830606019X

Duchacek, I.D. (2019). The territorial dimension of politics. Within, among and across nations. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429315244

Erk, J., & Anderson, L.M. (2010). The paradox of federalism. does self-rule accommodate or exacerbate ethnic divisions? In J. Erk, & L.M. Anderson (Ed.), The Paradox of Federalism. Does Self-Rule Accommodate or Exacerbate Ethnic Divisions? (pp. 2-12). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/13597560902753388

Feeley, M., & Rubin, E. (2011). Federalism: political identity and tragic compromise. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.4127035

Knop, K., Ostry, S., Simeon R., & Swinton K. (Ed.). (1995). Rethinking federalism: citizens, markets, and governments in a changing world. Vancouver: UBC Press.

Riker, W.H. (1964). Federalism: Origin, operation, significance. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Riker, W.H. (1975). Federalism. In F. Greenstein, & N. Polsby (Ed.), Handbook of Political Science, V.5 (pp. 93-172). Governmental.

Riker, W.H. (1969). Six books in search of a subject or does federalism exist and does it matter? Comparative Politics, 2(1), 135-146.

Sorens, J. (2010). The partisan logic of decentralization in Europe. In J. Erk, & L.M. Anderson (Ed.), The Paradox of Federalism. Does Self-Rule Accommodate or Exacerbate Ethnic Divisions? (pp. 62-79). New York: Routledge.


Ilyin, M.V. (2003). Russian choice: made, postponed, cancelled? Polis. Political Studies, 2, 157-163. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2003.02.13

Kant, I. (1994). Zum ewigen Frieden. (Russ. ed.: Kant, I. K vechnomu miru. In Kant, I. Sochineniya v 8 t., T. 7 (pp. 5-56). Moscow: CHORO).

Kaspe, S.I. (2005). Empire substitute: on the nature and origin of the federative political form. Polis. Political Studies, 4, 5-29. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2005.04.02

Maddison, A. (2012). Contours of the world economy, 1-2030AD. Essays in macro-economic history. (Russ. ed.: Kontury mirovoi ekonomiki v 1-2030 gg. Ocherki po makroekonomicheskoi istorii. Moscow: Publishing House of the Gaidar Institute).

Malakhov, V.S. (2010). Will national culture survive globalization? Philosophical Journal, 1, 107-118. (In Russ.)

Martyanov, V.S. (2010). Federalism: political structure or a pact between elites? Polis. Political Studies, 1, 173-183. (In Russ.)

Pankevich, N.V. (2008). Modeli federativnogo ustroistva: zakonomernosti politicheskoi transformatsii [Models of the federal system: patterns of political transformation]. Ekaterinburg: UB RAS. (In Russ.)

The Federalist Papers. (1993). (Russ. ed.: Federalist. Politicheskie esse A. Gamil'tona, Dzh. Medisona i Dzh. Dzheya. Moscow: Progress - Litera).

Zayats, D.V. (2001). The political map of the world: what has changed in 100 years. Geography, 17, 5-25. (In Russ.)  

Content No. 3, 2024

See also:


Troitskaya O.V.,
Right of Nations to Self-Determination: Evolution of Concept and Practices. – Polis. Political Studies. 2015. No6

Tishkov V.A.,
On principal actors of civilizational dialogue. Cultural and language diversity of modern nations. – Polis. Political Studies. 2012. No5

Farukshin M.Kh.,
Institutional Foundations of Ethnic Federations. – Polis. Political Studies. 2017. No2

Mochalov A.N.,
In Search of the Origins of Multinational Federalism. – Polis. Political Studies. 2021. No1

Krasin Yu.A.,
Russia's Political Self-Determination: Problems of Option. – Polis. Political Studies. 2003. No1


Screen version