Government policy analysis and implementation essay

¶ … governance namely federalism, centralized and unitary but mainly focusing on federalism as practiced in America. We will be looking at what federalism in the context of its inclusion on the America's constitution and the effects it had on the country. Lastly the paper will discuss the other two forms of governments and why they are different from federal model.

For this first question, the paper will attempt to look at the impact the inclusion of federalism in America's constitution. The constitution of America came to being in 1787, having been drawn by 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It is the system of fundamental laws of the United States of America. Ginsberg, Lowi, & Weir, (2010) argues that federalism has been fundamental in helping the constitution deliver to its citizenly. Even though federalism is not mentioned explicitly in the constitution it however one of the many concepts that the constitution embodies. So what exactly is federalism in relation to helping the constitution gains influence?

Federal system has enabled the national government hold significant power, and the smaller political subdivisions also holding significant powers too. Through federalism, America has been in position to encourage diversity among policy and programs, and has created the possibility of individual states to be in closer proximity to their citizens, and thus are in place to judge their needs, and grants the government the opportunity to respond to the demands of the people. Besides that it has helped in the minimization of policy conflict, the dispersion of power and helped to create opportunities for citizens to participate in the policy process, and enhance policy experimentation, and innovation.

Furthermore through the enactment of federalism into the constitution, America is in position to create a stronger central government which has exclusive powers such as the power to regulate interstate commerce, the power to provide for the general welfare, and the power to spend hence improving on American life. 'Through the provision of federalism in the constitution, America has been in position to grant Congress the power to pass laws necessary and proper to carry out its explicitly granted constitutional powers. The supremacy clause of the constitution rejects ant attempt of the states to interfere with the exercise of these national powers.' (Ginsberg, et al. 2010)

America through enacted of federalism into the constitution has been able in position to control certain areas, such as matters involving healthy, safety, and morals hence helping to improve on American lives. Moreover 'the constitution reserves to the states any power not neither explicitly delegated to the national government nor explicitly denied to the state governments. There are also some powers like the power to tax which are shared concurrently by the two levels of government.' (Schechter, 1981). What's more is that the federal government ensures that the constitution stays off limit to some powers. For instance no level of government is allowed to grant titles of nobility, the government is also not in position to find an individual guilty without benefit of trial, or pass prosecution for disobeying a law passed after the fact.

Federalism through the constitution has been position to divide power between the states and the federal government something that is at the center of improving things in America. The division of power between the states and federal government is a key to the delegation of powers given exclusively to the national government, reserved powers given specifically to the states, and concurrent powers shared by both levels of government. Inherent and explicit powers also exist through the provision of the constitution.

2. The question will focus on the relationship between federalism and fragmentation as well as the interactions it creates with governments and citizens. It will also look at why the functionality of working relationships within the political process make a difference in how the process of IGR unfolds. Federalism can be taken as an independent variable, a pre-existing set of institutional structures which therefore condition to some extent the behavior of elites and masses. It can also be looked as being dependent, where states establishing new states have to use federal structures with the specifics intention of creating certain types of behavior amongst the masses.

Now, in terms of its relationship to fragmentation, it is apparent that fragmentation promoted by federalism actually leads to coherence, but only in certain forms. Federalism has failed in many states. Federalism has contributed to fragmentation in some cases which in turn has greatly to conflicts in ethnically divided societies. This has been primarily due to the nature of the federal design rather than something inherent in federalism itself. The design thus can be attributed to contributing in societal fragmentation.

'When ethnic groups are territorially concentrated in one place, then the whole homogeneous states encompassing the whole ethnic group are going to be better than a federal design that seeks to split the territorial concentrated ethnic groups. The existence of homogeneous states in a federation is in itself enough to regulate and prevent ethnic conflict.' (Kelemen, 2004). Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) are ever-present even though they are sometimes underestimated dimension of any federation. This is especially so where the federal regime is as a result of a process of unification or of devolution.

3. In this part of the essay we will look at other forms of political interactions apart from federal system. The systems of government are based on how power is distributed. And there are three ways in which governments distribute power- unitary or centralized, confederation and federal.