Force and federalism: Controlling coercion in federal hybrid regimes

Studies of federalism ascribe a central role to coercion in the birth and death of federations. In contrast, the role of force almost completely disappears when the focus shifts to the management of federations. However, in conditions faced by many federal hybrid regimes, the institutions said to manage federal relations - political parties, constitutions, and judiciaries - often are too weak to fulfill this role successfully. Thus, control over coercion may play an important role in resolving center-subunit disputes. Securing control over coercive power has been a prominent feature of federal relations in postSoviet Russia. Despite the weakness of coercion as a mechanism of regulating the federal bargain, certain modes of organizing force may assist federal stabilization, at least until parties and courts develop a stronger capacity to play this role.