Review: The Impact of Global and Regional Integration on Federal Systems
| Date | 01 June 2005 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200506000231 |
| Published date | 01 June 2005 |
| Author | Peter Woolstencroft |
| Subject Matter | Review |
I
Reviews
|
forefront,
thereby forcing globalization to take on the benevolent guise
that Bhagwati claims is inherent in the process itself. Indeed, Bhagwati
recognizes
as much when he comments that NGOs "can play an important
role
in the design of appropriate governance to improve outcomes from
globalization"
(x).
Infused with literary references that exhibit the broad range
of
his intel-
lect,
Bhagwati
grounds
his arguments in rigorous logic and reason, inviting
serious reflection on the meaning and substance of contemporary econom-
ic
globalization. Given the debates raised
during
the recent US presidential
campaign about the perils of outsourcing and increasing global economic
integration, In
Defense
of
Globalization
is a timely addition to public
debate about the
nature
and impact of global economic integration in both
developed and developing countries.
Melani
Cammett/Brown
University
THE
IMPACT
OF
GLOBAL
AND
REGIONAL
INTEGRATION
ON
FEDERAL
SYSTEMS
A
Comparative
Analysis
Edited
by Harvey Lazar, Hamish Telford, and Ronald L. Watts
Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queerfs University Press, 2003.
viii,
378pp.
$65.00
cloth
(ISBN
1-55339-003-2), $29.95 paper
(ISBN
1-55339-002-4)
Generally,
until the last third of the
20th
century, analysts of federations
predicted their inevitable unitary destinations, in function if not in form.
The
evolution of federations was driven by the requirements of mixed-
economies
and welfare states for central governments to have primary, if
not unchallenged, roles. Over time, function would structure form.
Since
the
1970s,
the federal idea has enjoyed considerable revitaliza-
tion. No longer do federalist arrangements seem to be half-way houses on
the road to unitary governance. Contrary to functionalist models, well-
established
unitary systems have taken on federal forms and processes.
However, two features of modern politics—globalization and regional inte-
gration (GARI)—make the future of federations uncertain.
Will
they be
strengthened, weakened, or extinguished?
The
future of federations is this volume's organizing framework. It
consists
of eight case-study essays (revised following a
2000
conference) on
I International
Journal
|
Spring
2005
| 595 |
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