Forms and Limits of Accommodation in the Case of Catalonia: What Difference Can Shared Rule Make?

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Abstract
The growth of secessionist movements in multinational states in general and in Catalonia in particular has put into question the ability of regional autonomy to accommodate secession. This is largely because the literature on federalism and territorial politics overwhelmingly focuses on a one-sided perspective of self-rule and autonomy when analysing the territorial distribution of power and neglects the other equally crucial aspect of shared rule. This paper questions the validity of this one-sided perspective, conceptualises different types of shared rule and their causes and consequences, and illustrates the difference that shared rule can make in dealing with the secessionist movement in Catalonia. It is suggested that shared rule can be regarded as an integrative mechanism for the accommodation of Catalan aspirations for secession. Autonomy cannot be guaranteed and cannot stunt self-determination impulses without shared rule. Creating a well-functioning intergovernmental system will be a serious challenge, but without such a system, it will be difficult to accommodate Catalonia.

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