This book bridges theory and practice to rethink the contested relationship between federalism and democracy, with a focus on South and Southeast Asia. Bringing together philosophy, law, political science, and area studies, it offers a fresh interdisciplinary perspective on power sharing, democratic governance, and federal design.

The first part develops key concepts by examining the intellectual history of federalism and democracy, the normative role of participation, cooperative power sharing, and the rule of law. The second part turns to practice, analyzing federal country cases including India, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar. These chapters address minority rights, subnational autonomy, citizen’s participation, and the tensions between federalism, democratization, and authoritarianism. By highlighting both opportunities and challenges, the book provides fresh insights into how federal systems can shape or undermine democratic representation, accountability, and innovative governance in diverse societies.

Vishnu Kumari Tandon is a Governance and Citizen Engagement Consultant at the World Bank. Her research focuses on federalism and participatory governance, and she is the author of Nepal’s Federalism and the Pursuit of Deliberative Democracy (2025). She has over a decade of policy and research experience internationally.

Laure Gillot-Assayag is an associate researcher at EHESS (France) and Democratic Vistas postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities (Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Germany). A specialist in political theory and intellectual history, she studies compromise in democracy and conducted research on federalism at McGill and UC Berkeley.

Christine Forster is a Professor in the Law and Justice Faculty, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Christine’s research includes federalism and advancing gender equality, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, gender-based violence and sex discrimination. She has published widely in these areas.