Federations: Concept, Theory and Main Features

Since the end of the Cold War, federalism has been on the rise but it also continues to face setbacks. This chapter discusses federalism’s origin and the factors contributing to the continued interest. In the following eight sections, this chapter elaborates some of the general features that one observes among polities called federations. The key pillars of federations as distinct from other forms of organizing polities are discussed. Because every federation operates within a specific context, overemphasizing on those common characteristics does not explain why federations evolve in different ways. The real forces social, cleavagesCleavages and political that necessitated the establishment of the federation matters most in understanding the dynamics of federal systems.