Advantages And Disadvantages Of Federalism

Federalism is two governments working together and sharing power. This means that the national government does not have all the power since the states have some and the states have some power so the national government have all the power. They share power so one doesn’t grow too powerful and become a tyrant. An example is driving laws. The states can make their own driving laws and there is no national power over it. But the national government does have the power to override the states if they think the states are becoming too loose in their

Federalism makes most policies lean more locally. States could tailor policy to fit their specific needs. For example, Texas has a very different social welfare system even under the supervision of the central federal system. As the state has populations, wealth, resources, etc.,

The biggest advantage of federal system is check and balances – a political system where each branch of government have authority to keep checks on other branches and to influence the decisions of other branches; the political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups. Now, let’s see the cons of the federal system. Cons of the federal system are: prevention of the creation of a national policy, lack of accountability, and potential for corruption. “Federalism also causes confusion between the local governments and the national government as well.” (Federalism Pros and Cons List, 2015) For an example, the United State doesn’t have a single policy on issues, which often leads to the confusion. Also, power of authority can create a possible atmosphere for corruption at local and national level. For an example, if majority of the congress wants to pass a law on something and local states do not agree on it, then the local government can agree on the law to get something in return in form of money or favors!

I do not see how this tension between state and local governments can be healthy for our political system. It creates problems and sometime people will start losing their trust in their governments.

The states have taken an entirely different route. They have opted to create statutory constitutions, rather than follow the liberal one that the federal government follows. This means that these documents limit the powers of government, rather than empower them as the U.S. Constitution does. Hence, their constitutions are far more extensive, detailing each aspect of the local government (O’Connor et al., 2011).

In the Unites States of America Federalism is the basic structure of the American government; it is the distribution and balance of powers between the National government and the States government. In order to obtain a compromise between those who wanted stronger state government and those who preferred a stronger national government the founding fathers arranged and settled for a federal system rather than the alternatives of a unitary or confederal system. While both National and State governments each have specific powers and authority, they also share certain powers and must be able to cooperate effectively with each other.

When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in 1787, the United States just had 13 states. The Founding Fathers believed that more states would want to join the Union in the future. They saw that it would be significant for new states to have the same form of government as the original states had. Since then there are now over 50 states that have similar characteristics which were developed centuries ago; although, resembling the creation of new ideas and inventions, current state government had many problems from being the way it is today, it also has many important features that benefit many people, as well as plays an important role in how American democracy and government works.

However federal government also has the advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the Federal unity is that local government handles local problems also the local government and officials have to be very responsive of the people who elect them. The central government can devote more time and energy to national and international problems. They also have more opportunities for participation in making decisions that influence what is taught in the schools, also deciding where highways and government projects are to be built.

Federalism can be said to be the defining feature of all forms of American politics. Even as a literary characteristic feature, America was the first nation to adopt federalism as a concept. Federalism is a system of government whereby political power is divided between a national government and other smaller political constituents such as states. Federalism, although not mentioned exactly in the constitution, was supposed to be a concept that addressed the errors of the confederation (Platt, 2014). It was also supposed to be the lay the groundwork for what would be the future of America. As it was expected to be, federalism has had an impact on the American politics even as far as elections are concerned. There were some key reasons that

Federalism guards against tyranny by dividing the power between central and state governments. Some powers given to the central government are to regulate trade, to declare war, and etc. Powers given to the state government are to hold elections, establish schools, and etc. Both the state and central governments check each other to make sure one doesn’t get too much power.

Federalism is power divided between central and state government. The state governments can establish schools. The central government can declare war. The state government powers are local and the central government have nationwide powers (Federalism venn diagram). It provides double security by giving both the government and states the same/equal important power, Federalism guards against tyranny because it ensures that two levels share, one can’t accumulate.

When the government first achieved independence from England there were thirteen individual governments. They had an agreement called the Articles of Confederation that specified how each would interact with the others and manage the states. Despite the ratification by every state the agreement soon became problematic. What ensued was the meeting of state delegates, known as the Constitutional Convention, who planned to revise the problems. As a result the U.S. Constitution was fashioned to take its place. The idea was to ultimately federalize the States. That means each State remains an individual government but also agrees to be part of a Union. Thus created a federal government that would handle those things that are best controlled by a central government, which acts on behalf of the many States. An example would be the Navy and Army. The Federal Government has the right to raise and maintain a full time standing military. The Federal government is not limited to just the enumerated powers granted to Congress. It was also arranged that the national government would have powers not specifically stated in the Constitution, called implied powers. Although popular

Federalism is the division of powers between state and national governments. Federalism gave lower levels of government power that they did not have. The purpose of federalism is to give the people a sense of power, and essentially more liberty. However, it also allows a balance of power by giving states the rights to make their own laws, all while still recognizing the national government as superior.

The sovereignty of individual states meant that the influence of national government was weak and for a more stable country. The states had to abolish this to empower the federal government

If the state is small, it will be difficult to spread business to a larger group of people which would affect taxes of government spending. When bigger state create government because it is through the success of the business that would flow through the people.