№ 5 - 2000
King P.
Classifying Federations

Traditional division of states into unitary, confederative and federative ones is critically reconsidered in the article. The author demonstrates that this unitary/confederative/federative typology has never told a great deal. Furthermore, it involves a significant implicit shift from a broader legal criterion of classifying states to a narrower quantitative one. It is suggested in the article that the “unitary” category should be disposed of, and federation be looked upon not as something occupying some middle ground between unitary states and confederations, but as a constitutional system which instances a division between central and regional governments and where special or entrenched representation is accorded to the regions in the decision-making procedures of the central government. The basic criteria of a federation, in his opinion, are the following ones: a) the basis of its representation is territorial; b) this territorial representation has at least two tiers; c) the regional units are electorally and perhaps otherwise incorporated into decision procedure of the national centre; d) the basis of such regional representation at the centre cannot be easily altered, i.e. regional representation is “entrenched”.