International Conference on Cooperative Federalism in South Asia & Europe

CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India, and The Hanns Seidel Foundation of India, New Delhi together are organizing a Conference on Cooperative Federalism in South Asia and Europe.

Federalism as an ideational construct assumes various manifestations, patterns, developmental paths and institutional experiences in different regions and countries. Though it is territorially rooted, Federalism can be considered as a work in progress, since federal architectures and experiences vary. Technically federalism involves complex processes and relationships between two or more levels of government. It also represents a set of values, attitudes, perceptions, civic dispositions, a federal creed and culture. There are varieties of federalism, federal dynamics, federal cultures and federal experiences which make federalism essentially a contested idea in both South Asia and Europe.

The twenty-first century has been witnessing a global federal resurgence, which has been characterised by inter-dependencies, multilateralism, multiculturalism, overlapping jurisdictions, multiple centres of policy-making and multiple notions of citizenship. Hence, we need to go into and beyond institutional structures and incorporate diversity, pluralism, identity, empowerment and democratisation. The conference will focus on important issues and research questions relating to the functioning of federalism in South Asia and Europe.

To strengthen the exchange among stakeholders from South Asia and Europe in analysing the challenges and opportunities in the relations between the federal government and the constituent units, particularly from the perspective of the impact of federalism on democracy and decentralisation in South Asia and Europe.

• The conference will focus on the challenges and opportunities in intergovernmental relations between the union/federal government and states/Landers/constituent units in South Asia and Europe respectively.

• The edited volume shall focus on the changing economic realities, the existing structures of governance, the degrees of consociationalism and changing aspirations in the globalized world, on the federal systems in South Asia and Europe.

• To increase knowledge of the common challenges facing federal polities in South Asia and Europe.

• To develop contacts among the stakeholders.

This will give an opportunity for the participating institutions to network and collaborate on research and publication.