ABSTRACT
As discussed in Chapter 2, problems of stateness make the creation of stable democratic institutions difficult. This is because in contrast to authoritarian regimes, democracies may have more difficulty legitimately using force to keep such disputes under control. If there are groups of citizens concentrated in particular geographical areas who identify themselves as being of a different nationality than those who control state institutions and these groups make separatist claims against the state, the state has several means for addressing such claims. One of these is forced assimilation or submission to the authority of the state. As mentioned above, though, this method is problematical for democratic states. Other methods available include separation and/or population exchanges. Scholars like Arend Lijphart advocate an alternative method, however, which is the use of federal institutions to incorporate regional groupings. Federal institutions generally include regional assemblies and representation of regional interests at the national level via the national parliament, along with sub-national public financial discretion and administrative autonomy (see Wheare 1964; Friedrich 1968; Duchacek 1970; Lijphart 1999; McKay 1999).
