Federalism in Asia

Harihar Bhattacharyya is Professor of Political Science at Burdwan University, West Bengal, India. He has taught previously at Hull University, UK; Heidelberg University, Germany; and Delhi University, India. Known globally as an expert in Indian federalism and comparative federalism, he has published extensively on the subject. His book publications include Federalism in Asia (2010: Routledge); India as a Multicultural Federation: Asian Values, Democracy and Decentralisation (In comparison with Swiss Federalism) (2001); (co-authored) Radical Politics and Governance in India’s North East: The Case of Tripura (2018: Routledge); and Politics and Governance in Indian States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura (2018: World Scientific). His journal articles include: ‘Indian Federalism and Democracy: The Growing Salience of Diversity-claims over Equality-claims in Comparative and Indian Perspective’ (Regional and Federal Studies 2015) and ‘Pitfalls of India’s Ethno-federal Model of Ethnic Conflict Management: Tension Between Tribal Ethnicity and Territory in India's North East’ (Ethnopolitics 2019).

• Introduction: Federalism in Asia 1. Concept of federalism and its relevance 2. Ethno-national diversity and federalism 3. Origin and development of federalism: colonialism, decolonization and revolution 4. Federalism and Institutional Innovations 5. Dynamics of federalism: political parties and ethnic movements 6. Centre-State relations: structure and processes 7. Federalism and Forms of Decentralization 8. Federalism and Democracy: New questions asked Conclusion: Beyond the Diversity problematic

"Anyone interested in South & South East Asian federations should start with Professor Bhattacharyya’s survey; it addresses the established federations, the emergent Nepalese federation, and the more precarious case of Myanmar." — Brendan O’Leary, University of Pennsylvania, USA"Federalism as a political institution holds diverse societies together through an adroit conflation of self rule and shared rule, generating governance, political order, and legitimacy. Bhattacharyya applies this core idea critically to five federations of Asia. A hugely enjoyable book that enriches the classic wisdom and takes it forward." — Subrata K Mitra, Heidelberg University, Germany