Het vergelijken van federaties met behulp van systeem-analyse

Abstract

If David Easton’s A Systems Analysis of Political Life, New York, etc., 1965, offers a conceptual framework around which a valid general empirical political theory can develop, it must be possible to use this framework to compare political systems. 'This article contains a summary of the main elements of Easton’s systems analysis, followed by some remarks on the problems and possibilities of using this framework in comparative studies. A few tentative conclusions are offered of a seminar in which the Canadian, Indian and Nigerian federal systems were compared. This is followed by an effort to make Easton’s scheme more specifically applicable to federal systems. It is shown that under certain conditions federal structures will be more stable than unitary systems. Even in this early stage of development, Easton’s approach was illuminating and useful. It seems to be worth-while to compare a large number of federations and unitary systems in this manner. This may lead to hypotheses concerning the changes of survival of certain types of systems under certain conditions. However, priority should be given to the further elaborations of Easton’s suggestions and to the development of operational definitions