Characteristics of Federalism

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Characteristics of federalism Federalism proposes a multi-level system of government, where each level of government is democratic and has its own direct relationship with the citizens. It might be understood variously as the dispersal of power within a political system – by reducing the power of the political centre – or as the linking together of different political systems by a framework of shared law and institutions. It all depends where you are starting from. Federalism is therefore a variant of liberal democracy, founded on multi-level democracy in which the competences are allocated to different levels of government according to the principle of subsidiarity and where relations between them are governed by the separation of powers and the rule of law . In the development of political institutions, therefore, federalists advocate the principles of democracy , accountability and transparency . They criticise the traditional notions of diplomacy and summits , constrained by the veto power, preferring the development of international law and the pursuit of peace . Federalists do not accept that the demands of national sovereignty should inhibit the defence of human rights or the implementation of effective regulation where needed. However, the legitimacy of any new institutions needs to be established in order to balance the concerns arising from national identity and self-determination .

Transcript of Characteristics of Federalism

Page 1: Characteristics of Federalism

Characteristics of federalismFederalism proposes a multi-level system of government, where each level of government is democratic and has its own direct relationship with the citizens.

It might be understood variously as the dispersal of power within a political system – by reducing the power of the political centre – or as the linking together of different political systems by a framework of shared law and institutions.  It all depends where you are starting from.

Federalism is therefore a variant of liberal democracy, founded on multi-level democracy in which the competences are allocated to different levels of government according to the principle of subsidiarity and where relations between them are governed by the separation of powers and the rule of law.

In the development of political institutions, therefore, federalists advocate the principles of democracy, accountability and transparency.  They criticise the traditional notions of diplomacy and summits, constrained by the veto power, preferring the development of international law and the pursuit of peace.

Federalists do not accept that the demands of national sovereignty should inhibit the defence of human rights or the implementation of effective regulation where needed.  However, the legitimacy of any new institutions needs to be established in order to balance the concerns arising from national identity and self-determination.

Page 2: Characteristics of Federalism

Features of Federal Government

Features of Federal Government  Fedralism has the following characteristics of its own ans these characteristics distinguish it form Unitarianism.a) In a federal state there are two sets of governments, one is called federal or central government, the other is provincial or Unit governments.The union of these two sets of governments makes what is called federation.Each governments is independent of the other in its own jurisdiction.The central and unit governments are constitutionaly equal in status and position:non s superior to other.b) In a federation governmental powers are essentially distributed by the constitution between the Central government on the one hand and the unit government on the other.The details of division vary in different federations.But the principle folllowed in the division is that all matters which are primarily of common intrest and require uniformity of regulation throughout the country such as foreign affairs,defence,currency and coinage are placed under the central government, and the resr is left to the Unit governments.c) Federal system essentially implies the supremacy of constitution.A federal state derives its existance from the constitution;powers of both central and unit governments are delegated by the constitution.Wvery power whether of central or Unit governments is subordinate to, and controlled by, the constitution.For instance, in the united states neither the president nor the Congress nor the governer of New yorknor its legislature can legally exercise a single power which is inconsistent with the articles of the constitution.Every legislature existing under a federal constitution is merely a subordinate law-making body, whose laws are valid while within authority conferred on it by the constitution, invalid if they go beyond the limits of such authority.d) To maintain in practice the supremacy of the constitution every federal state must have a supreme courrt.It interprets the constitution, decides disputes between center and province or provinces, or between diffrent organs of government.It puts them in check, keeps them within their constitutional limits.e) The federal constitution being a complicated contract and the supreme law of the land is essentially a written and rigid one.f)In a federal state there exists some sort of double citizenship and allegiance.This means that a citizen has to show alllegiance both to the provincial and federal governments,g)The central legislature under federal system is generally found bicameral on tha age old ground that the lower house enshrines the national idea and represents the nation as a whole and the upper house is enshrine federal idea and to represent the units as such.