Peace-Promoting Federalism: Making Sense of India and Nigeria

What is federalism’s impact on the transformation of violent conflict in multiethnic societies? This article looks at conflicts in India and Nigeria to study the extent to which the genesis and resolu-tion of conflicts were related to federalism. I examine whether India and Nigeria introduced the integrationist and accommodationist mechanisms of federalism, and, if so, whether the mecha-nisms mutually reinforced each other. I argue that the mix of both approaches and the lack of shared rule mechanisms can be seen as an important variable in explaining the persisting violence of these conflicts and the inability of federal institutions to transform violence