Federalism, Nationality, and Justice

Towards a Normative Theory of Federalism

Jean-François Grégoire, Michael Jewkes, Sarah Stefanutti HIW – RIPPLE (Research in Political Philosophy Leuven)

Federalism : “The genus of political organization that is marked

by the combination of shared-rule and self-rule” (Watts 1998).

Federalism as a Third Way

40% of the world’s

population lives in

federal states

24 out of the 193 countries of the world are federal

states

An Overarching Unitary State

A Mosaic of Independent States

Multinational Federalism Research Questions

1. In what ways is federalism preferable to

either one unitary state or several

independent nation-states?

2. How should shared rule be organised at

the federal level?

3. How much self-rule should be granted to

the federal sub-units?

4. Must sub-units be granted powers on a

symmetrical basis, what are the

advantages and disadvantages of

asymmetrical federalism?

5. What is the relation between the degree

of democratisation and fiscal

decentralisation?

6. Is secession a legitimate objective for

sub-units and if so under what terms?

Transnational Federalism Research Questions

1. Is transnational federalism preferable to a

multitude of sovereign nation-states?

2. How should shared rule be organised at the

transnational level of the federation?

3. What are the sources of unity and stability

in a transnational political community?

4. Is the idea of federalism compatible with the

idea of global justice?

5. Is the idea of transnational federalism

compatible with the idea of democracy?

Historical Federalism…

•Peaceful cooperation (Kant)

•Dual protection of liberties (Madison)

•Best of big, best of small (Montesquieu)

Federalism Duality:

For a Reunification of the Theory