Federalism : The citizens are part of both the country and the state.
In federal systems, the national government has the central authority over the whole national territory, whereas the provincial or state governments have individual power within their provinces. The duties, rights, and responsibilities of the central government, as well as the state governments, are mentioned in the constitution of particular countries.
The constitution gives delegated, implied, and inherent powers to the central administrative units, whereas certain powers are reserved for the states and local governing units. The main center can make national-level decisions, whereas the states have the power to regulate laws and orders in the various areas within the state. The need for security and a common defense system against external conflicts along with the decentralization of administrative power and unequal economic development between different units of a country may necessitate the adoption of the federal government.
Federalism plays an important role in unifying states with common cultural and historical background. The factor of geographical proximity is an important precondition for the formation of a federation. The countries must have enough economic resources to adopt the federal system.
Except for China, the seven other largest countries of the world, such as the United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Australia, Argentina, and India, have federal systems. Austria, Belgium, Ethiopia, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Switzerland, the UAE, and Venezuela have also adopted federalism.
There are various types of federalism like dual (sovereignty is divided), asymmetric (differential autonomy of states), cooperative (federal, central, and state governments operate cooperatively), competitive (central government competes with state governments and vice versa), and creative (federal government provides for the needs of the states).
On May 25th, 1787, at the Philadelphia convention, the idea of a federal system was first proposed. The advocates of the federal system were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington, who attempted to balance order with liberty and suggested various reasons for the formation of a federalist system which included prevention of tyranny, increasing participation in politics and functioning of the states for new ideas and developments.
In the USA, after the formation of the country and the American Civil War, the national government came into power with the rise of dual and state-centered federalism along with the origin of neo-federalism. In France, the whole plan of the federal government was to weaken the Paris central government by the division of power to major provinces during the French Revolution. In India, there is a three-tiered government structure with the Central government, state and union government, and panchayats and municipalities. An asymmetric federal system can be here with certain states getting limited autonomy.
The advantages of a federal system include diffusion of power, creating responsible state governments, managing the internal and external disputes, the involvement of the citizens, and spreading awareness about politics and also the demolition of single regulating power. Disadvantages include unequal distribution of political power, interference of states in critical policies as determined by the central government, and also internal conflicts within the states. Moreover, the positive aspects of federalism overshadow the disadvantages.
