A federal or devolved arrangement in which some constituent units have different or greater powers than others, usually to accommodate distinct national, linguistic or historical identities.
In more detail
Examples include Quebec's distinct arrangements in Canada, the special statutes of the Basque Country and Navarre in Spain, the autonomous regions with special statutes in Italy, and devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. Supporters argue that asymmetry allows a state to hold together diverse communities; critics argue that it creates resentment among other units and blurs equal citizenship, and that it can become a stepping-stone to secession.