Вестник Московского государственного областного университета (Jan 2024)
Trajectories and prospects of evolution of the territorial and political space of the modern state: between unitarianism and federalism
Abstract
Aim. To conduct a comparative analysis of methods and technologies for optimizing territorial space within the framework of federalism and unitarianism, and to deduce possible options for the evolution of the territorial structure of the state between asymmetric federalism, devolution and decentralization of the unitary state.Methodology. The work is based on the fundamental provisions of the theory of public administration and political science, scientific developments on the territorial organization of a federal state.Results. This research shows that the territorial space can be optimized by increasing the level of regional autonomy, improving coordination between the center and the regions, as well as tighter control of the central government over the regions. It seems to us that the introduction of elements of asymmetry into the territorial structure of the state can contribute to preserving the integrity of the state and ensuring its security.Research implications. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the fact that it contributes to solving the problem of developing the theoretical foundations of federalism and unitarianism in general and the trajectories of their evolution in particular, contributes to the enrichment of general and particular concepts of regionalism, the theory of federalism. The conclusions and generalizations formulated in the article can become an applied basis for understanding the future of general federal theories and concepts as well as an impulse for identifying and solving the problems related to forecasting the possible future state of federalism in Russia and foreign countries. The practical significance of the research lies in the fact that the conclusions and recommendations obtained by the author should be used to prevent separatism and territorial conflicts of ethnic-political, ethnic-linguistic, and the like nature.
