Federalism: A Normative Theory and its Practical Relevance by Kyle Scott is reviewed in the December issue of Choice .
Scott (Univ. of Houston) seeks to formulate a theory of federalism based on popular sovereignty. He begins with an examination of the relevant thoughts of Althusius, Aristotle, and Tocqueville and suggests that federalism offers answers to some criticisms of deliberative democracy. Drawing on Plato and Montesquieu, in chapters 2 and 3, Scott argues that federalism's protection of local variations is not a form of relativism but serves instead as a framework for popular views. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 examine, respectively, nullification, veto, and secession as protections for federalism. Scott sees nullification as strengthening federalism and the right of secession as "integral" to "healthy" federalism. His discussion of veto focuses on protecting the rights of religious minorities. The final chapter analyzes Calhoun's theory of the concurrent majority and concludes with an assertion of the inadequacy of "top-down" approaches for dealing with problems Iraq and the Israel-Palestine conflict pose. Although this is a useful contribution to discussions of federalism, Scott's mixing of the ideas and processes of direct democracy with the institutions of federalism, as normally understood, needs further explanation for his perspective to be theoretically persuasive. Summing Up: Recommended. Research collections. -- R. Heineman, Alfred University
Scott, Kyle.
Federalism: a normative theory and its practical relevance. Continuum International Publishers Group, 2011. 216p bibl index afp; ISBN
9781441197641, $90.00; ISBN
9781441177148 pbk, $27.95. Reviewed in 2011dec CHOICE. Scott (Univ. of Houston) seeks to formulate a theory of federalism based on popular sovereignty. He begins with an examination of the relevant thoughts of
Althusius, Aristotle, and Tocqueville and suggests that federalism offers answers to some criticisms of deliberative democracy. Drawing on Plato and Montesquieu, in chapters 2 and 3, Scott argues that federalism's protection of local variations is not a form of relativism but serves instead as a framework for popular views. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 examine, respectively, nullification, veto, and secession as protections for federalism. Scott sees nullification as strengthening federalism and the right of secession as "integral" to "healthy" federalism. His discussion of veto focuses on protecting the rights of religious minorities. The final chapter analyzes Calhoun's theory of the concurrent majority and concludes with an assertion of the inadequacy of "top-down" approaches for dealing with problems Iraq and the Israel-Palestine conflict pose. Although this is a useful contribution to discussions of federalism, Scott's mixing of the ideas and processes of direct democracy with the institutions of federalism, as normally understood, needs further explanation for his perspective to be theoretically persuasive.
Summing Up: Recommended. Research collections. --
R. Heineman, Alfred University
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