Federalism Is

Federalism is
a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two

levels of government. Generally, an overarching national government is responsible for
broader governance of larger territorial areas, while the smaller subdivisions, states, and
cities govern the issues of local concern.
Federalism, mode of political organization that unites separate states or other

polities within an overarching political system in a way that allows each to maintain
its own integrity. Federal systems do this by requiring that basic policies be made
and implemented through negotiation in some form, so that all the members can
share in making and executing decisions. The political principles that animate
federal systems emphasize the primacy of bargaining and negotiated coordination
among several power centres; they stress the virtues of dispersed power centres as a
means for safeguarding individual and local liberties.
The various political systems that call themselves federal differ in many ways.
Certain characteristics and principles, however, are common to all truly federal
systems.
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democracy: Unitary and federal systems
Written constitution
Constitution of the United States of America

First, the federal relationship must be established or confirmed through a
perpetual covenant of union, usually embodied in a written constitution that outlines
the terms by which power is divided or shared; the constitution can be altered only
by extraordinary procedures. These constitutions are distinctive in being not simply
compacts between rulers and ruled but involving the people, the general government,
and the states constituting the federal union. The constituent states, moreover, often
retain constitution-making rights of their own.
Noncentralization
Second, the political system itself must reflect the constitution by actually diffusing
power among a number of substantially self-sustaining centres. Such a diffusion of
power may be termed noncentralization. Noncentralization is a way of ensuring in
practice that the authority to participate in exercising political power cannot be taken
away from the general or the state governments without common consent.
Areal division of power
A third element of any federal system is what has been called in the United
States territorial democracy. This has two faces: the use of areal divisions to ensure
neutrality and equality in the representation of the various groups and interests in
the polity and the use of such divisions to secure local autonomy and representation
for diverse groups within the same civil society. Territorial neutrality has proved
highly useful in societies that are changing, allowing for the representation of new
interests in proportion to their strength simply by allowing their supporters to vote in
relatively equal territorial units. At the same time, the accommodation of very
diverse groups whose differences are fundamental rather than transient by giving
them territorial power bases of their own has enhanced the ability of federal systems
to function as vehicles of political integration while preserving democratic
government. One example of this system may be seen in Canada, which includes a
population of French descent, centred in the province of Quebec.
Elements maintaining union
Modern federal systems generally provide direct lines of communication between the
citizenry and all the governments that serve them. The people may and usually do
elect representatives to all the governments, and all of them may and usually do
administer programs that directly serve the individual citizen.
The existence of those direct lines of communication is one of the features

distinguishing federations from leagues or confederations. It is usually
based on a sense of common nationality binding the constituent polities
and people together. In some countries this sense of nationality has been
inherited, as in Germany, while in the United States, Argentina,
and Australia it had to be at least partly invented.
Canada and Switzerland have had to evolve this sense in order to hold together
strongly divergent nationality groups.
Geographic necessity has played a part in promoting the maintenance of union

within federal systems. The Mississippi Valley in the United States, the Alps in
Switzerland, the island character of the Australian continent, and the
mountains and jungles surrounding Brazil have all been influences
promoting unity; so have the pressures for Canadian union arising from
that country’s situation on the border of the United States and the
pressures upon the German states generated by their neighbours to the east
and west. In this connection, the necessity for a common defense against
common enemies has stimulated federal union in the first place and acted
to maintain it.
The pros and cons of federalism have been the subject of debate since the creation of the
republic.
Federalism’s Advantages
Proponents argue that federalism does the following:
 Fosters State Loyalties: Many Americans feel close ties to their home

state, and federalism maintains that connection by giving power to the
states.
 Practices Pragmatism: Running a country the size of the United States,
with such a diverse population, is much easier to do if power is given
to local officials. Likewise, state and local officials are closer to the
problems of their areas, so it makes sense for them to choose policies
to solve those problems.
 Creates Laboratories Of Democracy: State governments can experiment
with policies, and other states (and the federal government) can learn
from their successes and failures.
Example: California has frequently led the nation in environmental
regulations: Many measures adopted by California are subsequently
adopted by other states. And during the 1990s, Wisconsin governor
Tommy Thompson experimented with welfare policy, and those
experiments influenced federal welfare reform.
 Leads To Political Stability: By removing the national government from
some contentious issue areas, federalism allowed the early U.S.
government to achieve and maintain stability.
 Encourages Pluralism: Federal systems expand government on
national, state, and local levels, giving people more access to leaders
and opportunities to get involved in their government.
 Ensures The Separation Of Powers And Prevents Tyranny: Even if one
person or group took control of all three branches of the federal
government, federalism ensures that state governments would still
function independently. Federalism, therefore, fulfills the framers’
vision of a governmental structure that ensures liberty.
Federalism’s Disadvantages
Critics argue that federalism falls short in two ways:
 Prevents The Creation Of A National Policy: The United States does not
have a single policy on issues; instead, it has fifty-one policies, which
often leads to confusion.
 Leads To A Lack Of Accountability: The overlap of the boundaries
among national and state governments makes it tricky to assign blame
for failed policies.
Citizen Ignorance
Critics argue that federalism cannot function well due to ignorance. Most
Americans know little about their state and local governments, and turnout
in state and local elections is often less than 25 percent. Citizens
consequently often ignore state and local governments, even though these
governments have a lot of power to affect people’s lives.

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Federalism is

a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two

Federalism, mode of political organization that unites separate states or other

Constitution of the United States of America

The existence of those direct lines of communication is one of the features

Geographic necessity has played a part in promoting the maintenance of union

 Fosters State Loyalties: Many Americans feel close ties to their home

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