I don't think I agree with that. This seems to be a pretty clear case of unintended consequences of a colonial-era policies that were never properly dealt with. In this case, I'm not sure the size of the state has much to do with it.
I think that's a great idea. If nothing else it should encourage people to engage more with the community.
I plan to mostly spend my time here, as this instance is focused on security and that's where i want to spend my time. I may subscribe elsewhere but i plan for this to be home base.
I think it could be, if enough people use it and provide content. Content is king.
I really want this to work! I would love to see federated services be able to reach a decent level of adoption.