This work represents a superb achievement. Well-written and admirably argued, Peace by Design will probably become de rigueur reading for all those seriously interested in understanding the linkages between decentralization, regional parties, and ethnic conflict. David S. Siroky, Yale University, writing for Political Science Quarterly The debate over whether territorial approaches to managing intrastate conflicts reduce or exacerbate them is as old as it is unresolved with different authors employing different methods and focusing on different cases that offer different answers ranging from strong endorsements of, to stern warnings against, employing decentralisation as a conflict management technique. Dawn Brancatis volume speaks well to this debate and offers one of the more sophisticated answers, differentiating clearly between different sets of conditions and timeframes in which decentralisation - conceptualised as federalism, i.e., a system of government in which central and sub-state governments have their distince legislative competences - might prove a successful mechanism for addressing conflict within states. Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham, writing in International Peacekeeping Brancati's innovative analysis does makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing academic debate regarding whether or not decentralisation is an effective tool in mitigating intra-state conflict. Whilst on its own Brancati's statistical analysis many not provide all the answers, her research does indeed provide a strong basis from which to further investigate this complex social phenomena through other research approaches. Aisling Lyon, University of Bradford, writing in Journal of Peace, Conflict and Development This book is an important contribution to the research on decentralization, and it is highly recommended to everyone who has an interest in the field. Johan Dittrich Hallberg, Journal of Peach Research
