Sunday, September 23, 2012

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Federal, Confederate, and Unitary Systems of Government



The text defines government as the formal vehicle through which policies are made and affairs of the state are conducted. There are three ways governments can distribute power: through a unitary, confederation, or federal system. Each of these systems of government have advantages along with disadvantages.
A unitary government can be defined as a centralized government. All powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. Any local governments that exist hold power only with permission from the national government, and they cannot ever conflict with national policy. The central government creates local units of government for its own convenience such as garbage collection times or issuing parking tickets. Most governments in the world are unitary. In Great Britain, Parliament holds all the power of the British government, and while local governments exist, they only serve to relieve minor inconveniences. The advantages of having a unitary system are the uniform policies, laws, and administration. There is less duplication of services and fewer conflicts between national and local governments. Also, there is an overall greater unity and stability. There are also disadvantages of a unitary system of government. The central government can be out of touch with local concerns. They are slow in meeting local problems, and if the central government gets too involved in local problems, it may not meet the needs of all its citizens.
A confederate government is the type of government where the national government derives its powers from the states. Power rests in local entities, and the confederate government can only do what the confederation allows it to do. In this system, the power is extremely diffuse in that there is little central political control. It has the power to handle matters that the member states have assigned to it. Confederate governments usually have limited powers, and usually in the defense and foreign commerce fields. Confederate governments are rare in today’s world. The United States had a confederate government under that Articles of Confederation and the Confederate States of America. The European Union is the closest approach to a confederation today. The advantages of a confederate government include its prevention of the growth of a large central government due to it keeping its power at local levels. Also, it makes it possible for several states to cooperate in matters of common concern and also retain their separate identities. The disadvantage of a confederate government is that the weakness of the central government makes it unable to enforce laws or collect taxes. There is also a lack of unity and common laws.
A federal government is s system of government where the national government and state governments share power and derive all authority from the people. The central government controls more trade policy, and makes decisions about policy areas that involve interactions between states such as highway systems. It usually has the power to tax independently of the states and to control the money supply. A federal government also usually has its own mechanisms for enforcement. For example, in the USA, the FBI is the primary agency for investigating federal crimes and crimes that occur between or among multiple states. The Constitution of the United States sets out the division of powers. While the national government wields certain powers, the 50 states have others. There are several advantages to having a federal government. For one, the local government must be responsive to people who elect them. The central government can devote more time and energy to national and international problems. There are more opportunities for participation in making decisions – in influencing what is taught in the schools and in deciding where highways and government projects are to be built. However, there are also disadvantages of having a federal government. There are duplication of services. Some may be conflicted over the fact that citizens living in different parts of the country will be treated differently, not only in spending programs, such as welfare, but in legal systems that assign in different places different penalties to similar offenses or that differentially enforce civil rights laws. There may also be disputes over national supremacy versus state’s rights.
All systems of government have their advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, the federal system is the most efficient system of government. Expanding on the idea of a confederation, it gives the national government more power to regulate internal affairs that cross state boundaries, and setting minimum guidelines for how government operates within and among the states. The federal system as conceived by the framers has proven to be tremendously effective. Since the creation of the U.S system, other nations including Canada, Mexico, and Russia have adopted federal systems in their constitutions.

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