“Governements should set clear rules on independence referenda” Sorens says

Jason Sorens (Texas 1976) is assistant professor in the political science department at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). Very Recently he took part in a dinner debate organised by the Centre Maurits Coppieters in Brussels.

He’s an expert in the fields of fiscal federalism, public policy in federal systems, secessionism, and ethnic politics. In this interview for the Centre Maurits Coppieters he recomends constitutzionalising the right to self-determination to reduce (1) risk of ethnic violence and (2) political and economic unceratinity that could accompany an indpendence referemdum. A clear questions (whit agreed upon terms and meaning of those terms) and threshold reduce ex-post uncertainty about what happens after a YES vote for independence.

Sorens claims that the meregence and growing electoral support for independence in those regions with a distinct identity doesn’t steem from cultural or ethnic differences but rather from rational choices: economic viability of the new state, fiscal inbalances or opennes to international trade would be important factors for an analyisi on cost of benefits for independence.