The readiness of entrenched self-governments to enlarge their sovereignty

Abstract

Devolved regions with entrenched self-government either in a federal solution or in other forms of autonomous arrangements differ essentially from regions lacking legislative power. Incumbents in regional parliaments have the power to legislate following the political aims issued by dominant party/parties in cabinets and the administration prepares laws and implements decisions. To a certain extent, some of these institutional arrangements give fuel to demands for extended autonomy and in some other cases for separation and independence. Catalonia and Scotland have raised demands for independence and similarly have the small island autonomies Faroe Islands and Greenland called for independence. Size does not matter whether regional governments are aiming for independence or not. More interesting is the quality of government in self-governed regions, and the extent to which they have the skills and resources either to enlarge their autonomy or to be independent. In addition, it is as well a measure of how responsive democracy works in nations states, which is non-heard of in authoritarian states. We welcome papers – comparative analyses as well as case studies - that discuss the quality of democracy and government in federal regions or in partially independent territories. Papers that evaluate if political demands on enlarged sovereignty or independence are realistic compared to how well the administration and the employees have the capacities and qualities to fulfil the political will.

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