Comparative Conclusions

Abstract

As we emphasized in the introduction to this volume, old and new diversities in several countries and their potential to create conflict have been frequently addressed through federal arrangements. As the country chapters in this volume show, federal institutions and ideas have helped accommodate ethno-linguistic or religious diversities, empower ethnic or linguistic minorities, manage conflicts, and establish a legitimate, stable, and cohesive order in many states. Of course, there are huge differences in the ways and degrees to which countries have achieved conflict management, stability, and legitimacy. But in most of the cases, a combination of both recognizing diversity and encouraging integration or cohesion in the federation has been pursued. All federations have had to find ways of accommodating diversities through different institutional-design strategies, for example, either by expressing diversity through constituent units or by having the boundaries of constituent political units cut across these diversities. This has raised several issues about the consequences of federalism for managing politicized diversity.