Federal Solutions to Ethnic Problems

Citizenship, Federalism and Powersharing: Nigeria's Federal Character and the Challenges of Institutional Design

“…Kymlicka, 2006;Anderson, 2013) that fails to conceptualize fully the challenges of institutional design in postcolonial societies. More promising, however, is the recent work of Stepan, Linz and Yadav, who begin their discussion of federal solutions to ethnic conflict by acknowledging that for most postcolonial societies, the classic model of state-directed nation-building is no longer a viable path for transforming plural societies into nation states.…”

“…Despite growing enthusiasm within many academic and policymaking camps for consociational powersharing and 'pluri-national' federalism as means of managing ethnic diversity and promoting democratization (Lijphart, 2002;O'Leary, 2005;McGarry & O'Leary, 2009;Anderson, 2013), such models have rarely translated into success on African soils (Spears, 2002;Lemarchand, 2007). I argue that whereas successful ethnic powersharing institutions provide a 'roof of rights' spanning equally over the heads of all citizens, including those who define themselves culturally and politically primarily as members of subnational communities (Stepan et al, 2011, p. 21), most African states use membership in 'customary' ethnic communities to circumscribe or limit national citizenship.…”

Territorial Neutrality and Cultural Pluralism in American Federalism: Is the United States the Archenemy of Peripheral Nationalism?

“…This paragraph has been quoted widely (e.g., Brettschneider : 38; McGarry and O'Leary ; Redding : 975; and Anderson : 106); however, the only endnote attached to the paragraph contains no sources or data substantiating its claims…”

The state as a symbol or a means to an end: internal border changes in multinational federations

“…1 For an overview of the integrationist-accommodationist debate, see McGarry et al (2008). 2 For a more nuanced recent work, see Anderson (2013). 3 Unlike Goddard (2006) and Toft (2003), who examine the divisibility of territory among conflicting ethnic groups, this article emphasises the possibility of altering boundaries of land inhabited by a single group.…”