Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism
Under what conditions are ‘holding-together’ federations created? And what shapes the development of their territorial structures? This article answers these questions through a comparative-historical analysis of territorial restructuring in Belgium, Spain and the UK. It shows that ‘holding-together...
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| Format: | Article |
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Oxford University Press
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46455/ |
| _version_ | 1848797330930663424 |
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| author | Toubeau, Simon |
| author_facet | Toubeau, Simon |
| author_sort | Toubeau, Simon |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Under what conditions are ‘holding-together’ federations created? And what shapes the development of their territorial structures? This article answers these questions through a comparative-historical analysis of territorial restructuring in Belgium, Spain and the UK. It shows that ‘holding-together’ federations are created during a critical juncture opened by a surge of regional nationalism and that the strategic responses of mainstream parties to this threat are conditioned by their ideology. These constitutional settlements put countries on a path of institutional development that is conditioned by mainstream parties’ ideational adaptation to the political foundations of the federation and by their power in the system of inter-governmental relations. Even when regionalist parties regain control of the agenda, mainstream parties’ ideological adherence to the norms enshrined in the constitutions, coupled with their resilient power in the system of inter-governmental relations, means that institutional change is gradual. These insights bear relevance for institutional theory and for comparative federalism. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:02:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-46455 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:02:10Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-464552020-05-04T19:54:20Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46455/ Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism Toubeau, Simon Under what conditions are ‘holding-together’ federations created? And what shapes the development of their territorial structures? This article answers these questions through a comparative-historical analysis of territorial restructuring in Belgium, Spain and the UK. It shows that ‘holding-together’ federations are created during a critical juncture opened by a surge of regional nationalism and that the strategic responses of mainstream parties to this threat are conditioned by their ideology. These constitutional settlements put countries on a path of institutional development that is conditioned by mainstream parties’ ideational adaptation to the political foundations of the federation and by their power in the system of inter-governmental relations. Even when regionalist parties regain control of the agenda, mainstream parties’ ideological adherence to the norms enshrined in the constitutions, coupled with their resilient power in the system of inter-governmental relations, means that institutional change is gradual. These insights bear relevance for institutional theory and for comparative federalism. Oxford University Press 2017-12 Article PeerReviewed Toubeau, Simon (2017) Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism. Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 48 (1). pp. 76-101. ISSN 1747-7107 https://academic.oup.com/publius/article/doi/10.1093/publius/pjx057/4566563 doi:10.1093/publius/pjx057 doi:10.1093/publius/pjx057 |
| spellingShingle | Toubeau, Simon Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism |
| title | Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism |
| title_full | Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism |
| title_fullStr | Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism |
| title_short | Restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism |
| title_sort | restructuring the state: mainstream responses to regional nationalism |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46455/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46455/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/46455/ |