ABSTRACT
The trade globalization process, the decentralization of nation states and the increase in separatist movements around the world have been important phenomena since the 1980s. More and more countries (Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico, India …) are federalizing or decentralizing. Greater economic or political autonomy has been claimed by many regions such as Scotland, Catalonia, Quebec, and by Indian states and Chinese provinces. According to Minorities at Risk (MAR) Data, the number of active separatist regions has increased from 80 in 1980 to 100 in 2005. The research challenge is to determine whether there are interactions between international economic integration and this spread of political fragmentation of nation states over the world.
