Federalism and other systems of government compared

Federalism

Distinction between federal system and other systems of government

Generally, there are three systems of government that exist; federalism, unitary and confederate. Federalism is a system of government where the nation is organized into more than one level of government. These levels have formal authority which they exercise over the area and people in the area. This is different from a confederate government where there exist a national government that is weak and most power is bestowed upon the components within the country such as the states (Leroy, 2010). It is also different from the unitary government where all the power is found in the central government unlike the confederate systems the federal system, the federal government is the national and central government of the state which is federated. The government as constitutional authority that can not be challenged .It therefore acts for the whole country when it comes to relating and dealing with foreign governments.

The national government is hence the sole possessor of sovereignty. The national constitution divides and ensures that constitution powers are distributed between the national government and the resultant political units. Therefore, the citizens in federal systems are subjected to two governments the national or federal and the regional governments. The federal system is therefore seen as a compromise made between extremely concentrated power and a loose confederation for the states that are independent that can be used to govern many people found in a large territory.

History of federalism

Federalism is seen to have undergone some evolutions from when it was first adopted to the present day. Between 1789 and 1865 there existed dual federalism whose concept was that the national and state governments formed partnerships that are equal and the difference was their separate and distinct areas of authority. Between 1865 and 1901 there was the development of a second form dual federalism that was characterized by an erratic national government that became more present particularly in areas that had been fully under states. Cooperative federalism was then developed between 1901 and 1960. This was marked by a lot of cooperation and collaboration in the levels of governments (Boyd, 1997). In 1960 to 1968 another type of federalism was developed, and was creative federalism which saw a further shift of the relationships of power between the governmental level towards the national government by an expansion of a system of grant-it-aid as well as increased regulation use. Between 1970 and 1997 contemporary federalism was developed characterized by a shift in intergovernmental system of grants. It also saw an increase in lack of funding of federal mandates and concern were raised on the federal regulations as well as the disputes that continued to occur over the federal system nature.

Pros and cons of federal system in the United States

There are various advantages and disadvantages of adoption of a federal system in United States. Among the advantages are the system allows the government political power which is sufficient. The power is divided and portions are dispersed to various departments. The American citizens have a prospect of taking part in debates that address issues that affect them hence a participatory democracy. In federalism the individual rights of the American citizens are emphasized. It also fosters democracy among the American people since they have a right to debate as well as reinterpret the federalism meaning (Leroy, 2010).

The shortcoming of federalism is that people from small communities are oppressed by the states and through this they violate the individual liberties of people. Federal systems are quite confusing since there are many organs when it comes to the testing of policies. It is also challenging to coordinate activities between the central and state governments.