| Secessionism is an important and growing phenomenon in advanced democracies. While no actual secessions have taken place in Western Europe or North America since 1944, when Iceland gained independence from Denmark, many countries have undertaken programs of significant decentralization or devolution to sub-state regions. This dissertation analyzes both the causes of secessionist electoral success and its effects, particularly on regional autonomy. It uses region-level data in high-N quantitative tests. Average secessionist vote across regions is predicted by economic, political, and cultural factors. Cultural or ethnic difference is not enough for secessionist electoral success; economic grievances must be present, and a favorable institutional environment helps. Secessionist vote over time is explained by economic conditions and the progress of globalization. Secessionist vote is increasing over time in correlation with a system-wide globalization variable, but only in those regions that already have established secessionist parties. One implication of secessionist persistence and growth has been significant decentralization. Regions with established secessionist parties have received more autonomy over the 1980–2000 period than regions without such parties. The results of the analyses indicate that secessionism is a unique and distinct category of political action, and that secessionism should be studied within a unified context, separate from other kinds of nationalism or regionalism. |
