Societal diversity and political conflicts

Arthur Benz

Chapter 5 in Understanding Federal Democracy, 2026, pp 79-96 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: In addition to the historical and institutionalist approach to federal democracy, this chapter turns to a society-centred perspective. It discusses how the division and decentralization of authority in a federal democracy influence private actors’ and citizens’ options to express their individual or collective demands to governments and to exercise political power. This power rests on social mechanisms: the ability to move between regional governments, loyalty to a community, and the voice of parties which provide alternative political programmes and compete for offices. These mechanisms translate the diversity of societies and basic political cleavages into political conflicts that structure and shape the relations between federal and regional parties and governments. In general, societal divides intensify the conflicts and tensions inherent in a federal democracy.

Keywords: Competitive Federalism; Communities; Multinational Federalism; Parties; Party System (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035361489
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