S/P/58. Should most states be moving towards some form of federalist political arrangement?

This paper tackles the question of whether federalist political arrangements are a desirable aim for nation states, and the reasons for why federalism has experienced resurgence in popularity. It examines the performance of federations in terms of policy-making capacity and ability to deal with cultural tensions. Federal regimes possess significant advantages and disadvantages over nation states in both areas. There is also discussion of why a trend towards federalism may be occurring, with particular reference to the EU.