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