The federal system

The Federal System of Government

The federal system of government, often known as federalism, is a form of governance in which authority is divided between the national government and the states. The powers of various levels of government are defined in the United States Constitutions. The Constitution delegated particular authorities to the federal and state governments. However, the Constitution defines shared authorities and responsibilities between national and state governments (Federalism).

State Governments

State governments, according to the Constitution, have their own legislature, executive, and judiciary. They are also tasked with making, interpreting, and enforcing law, as long as they do not violate the supreme law, the Constitution. By contrast, the central government formulates foreign policy, signs treaties and enters into international agreements, declares war on local and foreign enemies and has the power to regulate imports and exports. It is also the sole responsibility of the federal government to print currency. There are also responsibilities shared between the central and state governments. The responsibilities include taxation, licensing of businesses and environmental conservation. Under the federal system of government, there are different forms of power. The types of powers include delegated powers, reserved powers concurrent powers and implied powers. The federal system of government comes with opportunities and challenges as well. The aim of the paper is to discuss the pros and cons of the federal system of government.

Power Struggles and Challenges

Despite the federal system of government appearing to provide a perfect balance of power between the central and state government, power struggles between the two levels of government are always apparent. In fact, power struggles between the two levels of government was one of the causes of civil war. Power struggles always lead to enmity and unhealthy competition between the two levels of government. Apart from the United States, the Federal system of government is also practiced in other jurisdictions like German, Mexico and Canada. Under the federal system of government there are shared duties between the national and state governments; this sharing of responsibilities leads to duplication of roles causing wastage of resources and inefficiencies (Anne, 2007). In addition to duplication of duties, it can result in development of opposing policies in different regions of the nation affecting development. The federal system of governance also creates so many centers of power that breeds corruption and wastage of resources.

Opportunities and Benefits

Despite the challenges that come with the federal system of government, it also provides unique opportunities for the people. The system allows the nation to develop equitably and eliminates the marginalization of some parts (Ryan). It protects the citizens against tyrannical runaway national government by spreading powers between different levels of government that offer checks and balances on each other. The system also increases the participation of people in government by delegating powers and duties to state governments, which are close to the people (Ryan). State governments are also more responsive to the needs of the people than the central government, which is often detached from the local people.

The American System

One of the most successful federal systems of government is the American system. The federal system protects citizens from tyranny, increases participation of citizens in governance and prevents marginalization and segregation. On the other hand, it comes with several challenges like inefficiencies through duplication of roles and development of contradicting policies. Only a handful of nations across the world have the federal system of government. The system has also worked well for Canada, German and Mexico.

References

Anne Twonney (2007). Federalism - the good, the bad and the opportunities. Analysis Policy and Observatory. Retrieved Jul. 10, 2107 from, http://apo.org.au/node/6516

Federalism (n.d). Federalism as a system of government. American Government. Retrieved Jul. 10, 2017, from http://www.ushistory.org/gov/3.asp

Ryan Wiseman (n.d). Advantages & Disadvantages of Federalism. Bloomp. Retrieved Jul. 10, 2017, from https://bloomp.net/articles/benefits_federalism.htm