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Journal VOL. 1 NO. 2, September. 2020, ISSN: 2714 - 4054

 

The Philosophy and Theories of Federalism

Adeola Gabriel Lanre, Ogunnoiki Adeleke Olumide

 

ABSTRACT

Federalism remains the idea of two or more independent nations forming a union for political, economic, socio-cultural and security reasons. Beginning from the 17th to the 19th century, European philosophers: Johannes Althusius, Immanuel Kant, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Alexis de Tocqueville and, John Stuart Mill laid the philosophical foundation of federalism in their respective magnum opus. In the 20th century, K. C. Wheare, W. S. Livingston, W. H. Riker, C. J. Friedrich and, W. E. Oates propounded the legal-institutional theory, sociological theory, bargaining theory, process theory and the theory of fiscal federalism for the purpose of explaining the idea ‘federalism’. This paper examines the philosophy and theories of federalism from the 17th to the 20th century. For this study, the qualitative method of secondary data collection was adopted. The paper conclude that the philosophy and theories of federalism are tools that assist analysts and readers with the normative and empirical perspectives of federalism, the conditions and preconditions for adopting federalism, the division of power in a federation and the economic functions of the levels of government in a federal state among other things.

 

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