Federalism

Question 1

What is federalism?

Answer 1

Federalism is a system of
government in which the power is
divided between a central authority
and various constituent units of the
country

Question 2

Features of federalism

Answer 2

1 There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.
2 Different tiers of government
govern the same citizens, but
each tier has its own jurisdiction
in specific matters of legislation,
taxation and administration.
3 The jurisdictions of the respective
levels or tiers of government are
specified in the constitution. So the
existence and authority of each tier
of government is constitutionally
guaranteed.
4 The fundamental provisions
of the constitution cannot be
unilaterally changed by one level of
government. Such changes require
the consent of both the levels of
government.
5 Courts have the power to
interpret the constitution and
the powers of different levels of
government. The highest court
acts as an umpire if disputes arise
between different levels of
government in the exercise of their
respective powers.
6 Sources of revenue for each level
of government are clearly specified
to ensure its financial autonomy
7 The federal system thus has dual
objectives: to safeguard and promote
unity of the country, while at the
same time accommodate regional
diversity

Question 3

types of federalism

Answer 3

There are two kinds of routes through which federations have been
formed.

1) The first route involves independent States coming together on their own to form a bigger unit,
=> so that by pooling sovereignty and
retaining identity, they can increase
their security.
=> This type of ‘coming together’ federations
=> include the USA, Switzerland and Australia.
=> In this first category of federations, all
the constituent States usually have
equal power and are strong vis-à-vis
the federal government.

2) The second route is where a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent States and the national government.
=> India, Spain and Belgium are examples of this kind of ‘holding together’ federations. => In this second category, the Central Government tends to be more powerful vis-àvis the States.
=> Very often different constituent units of the federation have unequal powers. Some units are granted special powers.