Understanding Federalism and Political Systems

Federalism Definition

• Federalism is a political system with two distinct levels of government.
• Neither level is subordinate to the other.
• Shared sovereignty is the core principle.

Unitary States

• Sovereignty resides solely with the national government.
• Local governments' power derives from the national government's approval.
• Local governments usually have less power than in federal systems.

Confederations

• Sovereignty lies with the subnational / constituent governments.
• National governments have limited power.
• Not commonly used in nation-states (e.g., European Union is an example).

Federalism: A Scale

• The distinction between federal and unitary systems can be subtle.
• Federalism is a spectrum—many countries have aspects of both systems.
• Some unitary states grant significant powers to local governments (quasi-federalism).
• Spanning a spectrum; countries have aspects of both systems.

Reasons for Federalism

• Large Size and Population: Larger countries face difficulties with centralized governance.

• Federalism can reduce logistical problems for the government.

• Typically, larger countries are federal; smaller ones are unitary.

• This is based on easier logistical flow

• Heterogeneity: Diverse populations make uniform governance challenging.

• Federalism allows varying governance models.

• This considers ethnic, cultural (linguistic), and religious differences

• Geographic Dispersion: Federalism is common in dispersed countries with diverse geography.

• It addresses logistical issues; local governance is more effective in local areas.

• It is especially common for island nations or countries with dispersed geography.

• External Threats: To address external threats, diverse groups can unite.

• This can be used as a common defense tactic to combat external threats.

• The USA is an example where federalism stemmed from an external threat.

History of Federalism

• Federalism can result from pre-existing autonomy that isn't related to diversity.
• The UAE exemplifies federalism arising from longstanding autonomous entities.

Ideological Reasons for Federalism

• Laboratories of Democracy: Local entities can experiment with different policies.

• Best practices arise from competitive policy experimentation.

• Subsidiarity: Decisions should be made at the appropriate lowest level to optimize effectiveness.

• This means local governments handle local processes to ensure effectiveness.

• Independent Bases Of Power: Diverse bases of political power lead to a robust system of checks and balances from different entities leading to a strengthened democracy

Ideological Reasons Against Federalism

• Combating Separatism: Local autonomy can lead to movements for independence.

• This addresses the issue where the local governments may use their autonomy to gain independence

• Incongruent Policies: Diverse local policies can create conflicts or inefficiencies.

• Inconsistent outcomes can lead to conflict issues and challenges in implementation.

• Political Chaos: Multiple levels of government can create gridlock and inefficiency.

• This considers the issues where federal and local actions conflict, potentially hindering progress

Features of Federalism: Strength

• Weak Federalism: A strong central government dominates local entities.
  • This leads to a less effective system but requires less disputes to manage.
• Strong Federalism: Balance exists between the local and central powers.
  • This is a more robust system but may lead to more disagreements.

Factors Affecting Federalism Strength

• Liberal Democracy Tradition: A strong tradition of checks and balances enhances federalism.

• This leads to better-balanced outcomes for both entities.

• Unity in Federal Government: A united government can exert greater central control.

• This, in turn, can diminish the power of local entities.

• Opposing Groups: Divided central government can result in stronger local powers.

• This is because it leads to more disputes and challenges for the central government to handle, which, in turn, leads to stronger local power.

Bicameralism

• Federal parliaments typically have a bicameral structure.
• The upper house often represents local entities.
• Representation in the upper house can be based on population, or states may be overrepresented.

Importance of Courts

• Courts play a critical role in resolving conflicts between local and federal governments.
• Court decisions either strengthen or weaken federalism.

Types of Federalism

• Territorial Federalism: Local entities are organized along territorial lines (states).

  • This is a common way to delineate the borders of local and regional governments

• Corporative Federalism: Local entities are based on group membership and may overlap geographically.

  • This is a less common method of structuring local governments.

• Dual Federalism: Clear separation of powers between federal and subnational units.

  • Federal and subnational levels of powers are clearly divided

• Cooperative Federalism: Federal and state/provincial governments share policy powers.

  • Cooperation becomes more important.

• Coercive Federalism: Federal government dominates state/provincial governments.

  • State governments may become overly reliant on the federal government.

• Asymmetric Federalism: Constituent entities have different levels of autonomy.

  • Autonomy varies among the constituent units.

This quiz explores the concepts of federalism, unitary states, and confederations. It examines the core principles of shared sovereignty, the hierarchy of government levels, and the spectrum of political systems. Dive in to test your knowledge of these crucial political concepts.