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editorial
Editor's Column
By ROD MAcDoneLl
This is the first anniversary issue of Federations since the magazine was reshaped, redesigned and relaunched last June. In that year our cover stories have:
• chronicled how Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken on major federal responsibilities in California,
• celebrated India’s resurgence and it diversity, and
• analyzed the many facets and factors that enabled Cristina Fernandez Kitchener to succeed her husband as president of Argentina.
This edition’s cover story is about the erosion of powers of Australia’s six states brought about mainly by High Court rulings, and how Australia’s constituent units have strategically united to prevent the further decaying of their jurisdictions.
Prof. Anne Twomey explains that the election of Kevin Rudd’s Labor Party in November 2007 brought the promise from Rudd that he will work with the six states, all also represented by Labor governments, to restore co-operative federalism to the land and end the so-called “blame game” with Canberra, the capital and seat of power of the Commonwealth government.
The Rudd government, which came to power after 11 years of rule by John Howard’s Liberal Party, moved rapidly and decisively, holding a vast brainstorming summit in April 2008 which has opened the door to the possible reallocation of powers in the prosperous nation and world’s smallest continent.
The format of the magazine is that each issue contains two key elements, the news section with five or six articles, and the feature section which typically looks at a cross-cutting theme of relevance to as many as half a dozen federations, themes such as diversity, fiscal issues, post-secondary education and cities and metropolitan regions in federal systems.
This issue explores two closely-related themes, decentralization and devolution, in five non-federal countries – three in South America, one in Asia and one in North Africa. The publication of this section marks an unusual departure from our steadfast focus on federations.
In federal countries, in order for government to function smoothly, the gears of intergovernmental relations need co-ordination and frequent attention.
In Nigeria, co-ordination between Cross River state and the Federal government went awry when Cross River proceeded with a US$400 million business-hotel-resort-shopping complex meant to operate as a customs free zone, encouraging wealthy Nigerians to spend their disposable income at home.
The veteran Nigerian political reporter, Dejo Olatoye, recounts how the recently completed megaproject has become a languishing ghost town as Cross River presses the federal government to grant it the duty-free status it needs to operate.
Please explore our thematic section and our other substantive news offerings. They deal with the next phase of Iraq’s tentative federalization, with further de-centralization coming in Spain, Canada’s ever-improving internal trade measures and an insightful inside look at Mexico’s municipal challenges, as seen through the eyes of Senator (and former mayor) Ramon Galindo Noriega.
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