Federalism and Governance in South Asia

Federalism in South Asia encompasses a diverse set of constitutional arrangements designed to balance authority between central governments and constituent units. India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka each embody distinct federal or quasi-federal frameworks shaped by colonial legacies, ethnic pluralism and varying degrees of democratic consolidation. Key features include written constitutions defining the distribution of legislative and fiscal powers, mechanisms for intergovernmental consultation and institutions such as national and subnational assemblies or councils. While India represents a paradigmatic federal democracy with strong centre–state relations, Pakistan’s experience has oscillated between military centralisation and intermittent devolution, Nepal’s recent transition has experimented with federal provinces to accommodate ethnic identities, and Sri Lanka and Bangladesh retain unitary elements alongside subnational devolution. Common challenges include uneven resource allocation, tensions arising from asymmetric federalism, elite capture of provincial bodies and the use of decentralisation reforms to serve strategic or political ends. Advances in comparative research highlight how constitutional design, fiscal transfers, party systems and citizen participation interact to determine the effectiveness of federal governance. The South Asian experience holds global significance for scholars and practitioners seeking to understand the resilience of federal structures under pressure from centralising tendencies, identity claims and rapid socio-economic change.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have examined the use of local government reforms under authoritarian regimes in Pakistan, revealing how decentralisation can serve as a façade for recentralisation. Fieldwork conducted in Sindh districts shows that ostensibly empowered municipal bodies were co-opted to reinforce central control, marginalise disadvantaged communities and undermine genuine civic engagement. The analysis indicates that nominal devolution under military regimes may produce symbolic institutions that obscure the persistence of top-down decision-making, generate public disillusionment and erode trust between citizens and the state.

Federalism and Governance in South Asia publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in federalism and governance in south asia across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Decentralisation: The transfer of administrative, political or fiscal responsibilities from central to subnational authorities.

Fiscal federalism: A framework governing the allocation of taxation and expenditure powers between different levels of government.

Asymmetric federalism: A system in which constituent units possess unequal degrees of autonomy or powers under the same constitutional order.

Intergovernmental relations: The formal and informal mechanisms through which central and subnational governments coordinate policies and resolve disputes.

Civic engagement: The participation of ordinary citizens in public decision-making processes at local, regional or national levels.

References

1. Decentralisation by military regimes and challenges to citizen participation: an empirical reflection from Pakistan. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2023).
2. Political decentralization, fiscal centralization, and its consequences in case of Pakistan. Cogent Social Sciences (2021).
3. The Dynamics of Federalism in Pakistan: An Examination of Political: Structures and Challenges. Al-Qamar (2023).