Federalism: Jointly Owned Authority

Introduction

Federalism is one of the most inventive and vital concepts in the United States’ Constitution where authority is jointly owned by national and state governments. In the United States, they have always fought to create a national government because the state existed first and this has always been an inconclusive topic among the jurisdiction, while in Canada, the structure of federalism was defined by the separation of powers among country’s provincial governments and parliament.

It can be said to be the shape of a government in which there is a split of control among two levels of identical status. This type of administration, generally seen as a compound or mixed way of government, merged a general administration with the regional one in a political structure.

Also, it signifies a convenient form in a pathway of a geographical split in which the general level is not subordinate to a regional level in the case of con-federalism while a regional level also not subordinate to the general level in the case of decentralization. Examples of states that practiced these types of administration involve Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, India, United States, and Canada.

Tagalog federalism (a type of this kind of system in the Philippines) was initially suggested by Jose Rizal in his Essay titled “Las Filipinas Dentro de Cien Anos” published in 1889.

European vs. American

Federalist is a term for describing those who support a joint of a government with spread power at national, supranational and regional levels in Europe and many of the federalist want this progress to grow within their territory. While in the United States, federalism was referred to believe in a stronger central government. This makes the Federalist Party support a stronger central government when the U.S constitution was wrote, while the Anti-federalist wanted a weaker central government. This brings the union to a conclusion that U.S constitution was composed as a response to the Articles of Confederation, under which state was with a weak central administration under a loose confederation.

However European federalism argues for a weaker central government in relative to a unitary state due to their great history of unitary states that the Americas. Most people were supporting federalism in the United States debate in favor of regulating the powers of the federal government most especially the judiciary. Though in Canada, federalism was believed to mean antagonism to sovereigntist actions.

Reasons for Adoptions for federalist systems

There are four theoretical clarifications in the academic literature for the application of federalism in the political structure.

1.    Infrastructural power notions which present that this system will likely develop when the sub-units of an impending alliance already have advanced infrastructures.
2.    Cultural-historical theories state that it will likely arise in societies with ethnically or culturally scrappy populations.
3.    Social Contract theories say that it is likely to be outline among the heart and the edge in the condition whereby the heart is not powerful enough to dominate the edge, and in this case, the periphery is not also not powerful enough to disaffiliate from the center.
4.    Ideational ideas held that it was to be adopted where there is a greater degree of ideology commitment to dispersed concepts in a civilization.

Advantages of Federalism

It has distinct advantages that help to understand why it has been adopted so widely by liberal democracies. These include:

1.    Helps in the expression of local preferences legitimately
2.    This form of ruling provides genuine and active citizens alternate venues to seek policy goals
3.    Allows a peripheral government to act as “laboratories” of public policy which will prevent adverse effects of bad policy and allow for the dispersion of good policies.
4.    Gives citizens some specific privilege to participate in various levels of authority.

With all the advantages analyzed, it is unfortunate each of these advantages has its shortcomings.

Disadvantages of this type of government

1. Sensitivity to local preferences may lead to various injustice and local discrimination
2. Providing an alternate venue to citizens may give activists a chance to “game the system” by playing levels of the regime against one another.
3. Being laboratories of public policy may lead to short-term inequities between different jurisdictions which may raise a serious question on justice
4. Expanded privileged to participate may lead to confusion over which level of authority is accountable for addressing public glitches and may even lead to “election fatigue”.

Importance of federalism

serves as the basis of the revision of the articles of Confederation

prevent the possible abuse of the authority represented through the political power distributed to the states.

is seen as the cornerstone of democracy in the United States

makes sure there is a series of authority between state and central government, thus discouraging and preventing any abuse of power.

ensures no kind of autocracy could be implemented or established within the United States with the power distributed to the state ensuring power cannot legitimately be centralized or concentrated without breaking any structure of the constitution.