Accommodation and the politics of fiscal equalization in multinational states: The case of Canada

The politics of accommodation in multinational states sometimes features an important, yet often overlooked, fiscal dimension. In fact, the scholarly literature on the accommodation of nationalist movements emphasizes territorial autonomy, access to power and representation within central institutions, and the promotion of the state national identity, but it is virtually silent on how patterns of territorial fiscal redistribution, and more specifically programs of horizontal fiscal equalization, may contribute to accommodating sub‐state nationalism. This article looks at the Canadian case and analyses the multidimensional relationship between equalization policy and Québécois nationalism. It explains how a key motivation behind the creation of Canada's fiscal equalization program in 1957 was to “end” the institutional and political isolation of Québec and how equalization may have, thereafter, contributed to making Québec's secession less appealing to a good number of Quebeckers than it would have been in the absence of this program. Simultaneously, the article discusses how equalization may have contributed to a certain political backlash against Québec in the other provinces, thus providing mixed evidence in the assessment of the accommodation potential of equalization policy.     

基于可达性的县域医疗服务均等化分析——以湖北省松滋市为例

中国县域城乡和不同乡镇之间的发展存在较大差异,在卫生领域表现尤为突出。在偏远农区,医疗资源短缺、卫生服务落后和健康保障缺位现象普遍存在。本文以湖北省松滋市为研究区域,以包括行政村和居委会的聚落点为基本研究单元,将可达性分析与聚类分析相结合,评估并表达不同区域医疗服务均等化水平并探讨相关公共政策。结果表明:(1)在县域尺度,医疗服务均等化水平空间差异明显,呈现出中心城区向周边递减的情况;(2)医疗服务均等化水平与经济发展水平分布格局上存在空间同型特征;(3)聚落中心、交通沿线可达性较高,而交通的改善会显著降低空间阻抗系数,促进均等化进程。