week 6 - federalism and nationalism

Question 1

what powers are granted to subnational units under federalism

Answer 1

significant powers such as taxation, lawmaking and security

Question 2

where is federalism more common

Answer 2

in huge, larger and diverse countries such as Canada and U.S.

Question 3

what is unitarism

Answer 3

the contrast to Federalism; the national government is the only level of government specified in the constitution.

Question 4

federalism

Answer 4

a political system in which multiple levels of government have some degree of autonomy in the same territory

Question 5

what happens in unitarism that doesn’t happen in federalism

Answer 5

The national government may still devolve responsibility to subnational units but they can take the power back.t

Question 6

where is unitarism more common in

Answer 6

Small countries

Socioethnically homogenous countries

Former French Colonies

Question 7

what are the two main processes of federalism

Answer 7

‘Coming Together Federalism’ and ‘Holding Together Federalism’

Question 8

coming together federalism

Answer 8

the result of a bargaining process in which previously sovereign polities voluntarily agree to give up part of their sovereignty in order to pool resources to improve their collective security or achieve economic goals- trade off of sovereignty to get resources.

Question 9

holding together federalism

Answer 9

the result of the process in which the national government chooses to decentralize its power to subnational governments to diffuse secessionist pressures.

Question 10

congruent federalism

Answer 10

Exists when the territorial units of a federal country, for the most part, share a similar demographic makeup with one another.

Question 11

incongruent federalism

Answer 11

Exists when the demographic makeup of territorial units differs.

Question 12

symmetric federalism

Answer 12

Exists when the territorial units of a federal country possess equal powers.

Question 13

asymmetric federalism

Answer 13

Exists when one or more territorial units enjoy more extensive powers than others

such as Canada – more power in Quebec (immigration policy, business regulations) than other provinces.

Question 14

potential advantages of federalism

Answer 14

Brings the government closer to the people and therefore increases government accountability.

Encourages policy experimentation

Allowed for tailored tax rates and services (like schools), thus providing people meaningful options over where to live.

Question 15

potential disadvantages of federalism

Answer 15

Unneccessary duplication of government and overlapping of potentially contradictory policies.

Competition between states can also lead to the amplification of preexisting inequalities, particularly if there is incongruent and/or asymmetric federalism.

Facilitates blame shifting and credit shaming, thereby lowering government accountability.

Incentivize subunits to spend irresponsibly, as subnational politicians know the central government will bail them out.

Question 16

the consequence of federalism

Answer 16

federations tend to last a very long time or very short time and this could be because of the difficult process of figuring out how to share the power.

Question 17

what is devolution and how does it differ to federalism

Answer 17

• when a unitary state grants powers to subnational government but retains the right to recall or reshape those powers.
• unlike federalism, political power resides in the national government in unitary states, regional governments do not have a constitutional right to any of their powers

Question 18

how does the local government pertain to federalism and unitarism

Answer 18

Whether federal or unitary, all countries possess some sort of local government. Nowhere is the national government responsible for all governing (the exception may be city-states)

Question 19

what is granted to local government

Answer 19

The degree of autonomy is granted and autonomy is greater where local governments raise their own revenues rather than relying on transfer payments.

Question 20

nationalism

Answer 20

the idea that nations should be the basic units of social and political life – and the national identity is important.

Question 21

what often accompanies nationalism

Answer 21

Feelings of national superiority

Question 22

nationalism and social identity

Answer 22

social identities are more strongly informed by an attachment to a nation and nationalism is stronger.

Question 23

theories on where nationalism comes from

Answer 23

1. a primordial need
2. a rational calculation.
3. sociopsychological phenemenon.

Question 24

a primordial need

Answer 24

A primordial need to feel an attachment to belong to a group.

Question 25

a rational calculation

Answer 25

A rational calculation via which one is more likely to experience societal benefits if they identify with the nation.

Question 26

sociopsychological phenomenon

Answer 26

‘us vs. them’ phenomenon; group loyalty and rejection of outgroups creates and reinforces nationalism. this reinforces our in-group attachments.

Question 27

types of nationalism

Answer 27

civic and ethnic nationalism

Question 28

civic nationalism

Answer 28

the belief that one can become a member of the nation via citizenship in its state.

More common in immigration societies such as the U.K., Australia and Canada

Question 29

ethnic nationalism

Answer 29

The belief that one can only be a member of the nation if they were born into it.

Common in Eastern Europe and East Asia.

Question 30

Historical and Potential effects of Nationalism

Answer 30

it is a good and bad thing.

Question 31

theories on nationalism being a good thing

Answer 31

‘forgiving’ differences due to shared identity.

Competition among nations spurring scientific and technological advances.

The overthrow of colonial rule or resistance to invasion which can help countries become and stay independent

Question 32

theories on nationalism being a bad thing

Answer 32

Marginalization of outgroups.

Competition among nations spurring war.

Forced assimilation, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Question 33

how has nationalism been on the rise

Answer 33

Political competition around the developed world has begun organizing around a nationalism vs. globalism dimension (like in the U.S. and UK).

Question 34

how does nationalism affect voting behavior

Answer 34

Nationalism correlates strongly with vote choice.

Question 35

regionalism

Answer 35

region-based nationalism - the political mobilization of individuals based on their common attachment to a region.

Question 36

Consociationalism

Answer 36

a political system set up to give regional groups some share of power in the central government.

Question 37

examples of consociational systems

Answer 37

Proportional electoral systems – regional parties can often get cabinet posts.

Federalism or devolution.

Formal power-sharing in the executive branch