The Politics of Survival

Abstract

Less developed countries do not conform easily to the accepted patterns of federalism set out in the literature. Third World constitutions tend to be short-lived and in many cases the federations have disintegrated or have become, in real terms, unitary states. Common factors are the strong influence of ethnic or territorial élites, whether of traditional or modern type, and the difficulty experienced by the regime in reversing anti-state norms left over from the preindependence period. Even where a federal solution is successfully legitimized, as in India, Malaysia, and Nigeria, it takes a centrally dominated form. Quasi-federal states such as Sudan and Cameroon exhibit a similar problem of the regime's legitimacy in culturally distinct peripheral areas. Federalism is chosen not for convenience but for survival.