FEDERALISM AND NATIONAL MINORITIES

Abstract

In many parts of the world, globalisation creates a phenomenon which integrates states into federal-like structures, even if they are not necessarily of the known, classical type, like the European Union, for instance. The international doctrine and practise also credit federal states with a higher potential for economic growth compared to unitary states. Starting from the undeniable fact that the economy and politics are closely linked together, some authors are trying to stretch the benefits of the federal system beyond what it can actually offer and argue that federalism may be the solution to other categories of political issues that the unitary states face. Minority population is one such category. This study aims at showing that the state structure is irrelevant to solving the problems arising from the status of belonging to a national minority. This article is the first part of the study, dedicated to the analysis of the object of regulation, represented by the rights of national minorities.

Keywords

• unitary state
• federal state
• national minority
• decentralisation
• regionalisation