Introduction: federalism in an era of globalisation

Under the pressure of globalization we appear to be in the midst of a parad igm shift from a world of nation-states to one in which federalism provides the closest political approximation to the complex diversity of the contem porary world. In this context the Forum of Federations, as its first major activity, held an international conference at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, 5-8 O ctober 1999, on "Federalism in an Era of Globalization". The articles in th is issue of the International Social Science Journal are drawn from among t he many presentations and background papers at that conference, and provide an insight into a range of salient issues within contemporary federations.