week 6 - federalism and nationalism Flashcards
what powers are granted to subnational units under federalism
significant powers such as taxation, lawmaking and security
where is federalism more common
in huge, larger and diverse countries such as Canada and U.S.
what is unitarism
the contrast to Federalism; the national government is the only level of government specified in the constitution.
federalism
a political system in which multiple levels of government have some degree of autonomy in the same territory
what happens in unitarism that doesn’t happen in federalism
The national government may still devolve responsibility to subnational units but they can take the power back.t
where is unitarism more common in
Small countries
Socioethnically homogenous countries
Former French Colonies
what are the two main processes of federalism
‘Coming Together Federalism’ and ‘Holding Together Federalism’
coming together federalism
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.
holding together federalism
the result of the process in which the national government chooses to decentralize its power to subnational governments to diffuse secessionist pressures.
congruent federalism
Exists when the territorial units of a federal country, for the most part, share a similar demographic makeup with one another.
incongruent federalism
Exists when the demographic makeup of territorial units differs.
symmetric federalism
Exists when the territorial units of a federal country possess equal powers.
asymmetric federalism
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.
potential advantages of federalism
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.
potential disadvantages of federalism
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.
the consequence of federalism
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.
what is devolution and how does it differ to federalism
- 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
how does the local government pertain to federalism and unitarism
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)
what is granted to local government
The degree of autonomy is granted and autonomy is greater where local governments raise their own revenues rather than relying on transfer payments.
nationalism
the idea that nations should be the basic units of social and political life – and the national identity is important.
what often accompanies nationalism
Feelings of national superiority
nationalism and social identity
social identities are more strongly informed by an attachment to a nation and nationalism is stronger.
theories on where nationalism comes from
- a primordial need
- a rational calculation.
- sociopsychological phenemenon.
a primordial need
A primordial need to feel an attachment to belong to a group.
a rational calculation
A rational calculation via which one is more likely to experience societal benefits if they identify with the nation.
sociopsychological phenomenon
‘us vs. them’ phenomenon; group loyalty and rejection of outgroups creates and reinforces nationalism. this reinforces our in-group attachments.
types of nationalism
civic and ethnic nationalism
civic nationalism
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
ethnic nationalism
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.
Historical and Potential effects of Nationalism
it is a good and bad thing.
theories on nationalism being a good thing
‘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
theories on nationalism being a bad thing
Marginalization of outgroups.
Competition among nations spurring war.
Forced assimilation, ethnic cleansing and genocide.
how has nationalism been on the rise
Political competition around the developed world has begun organizing around a nationalism vs. globalism dimension (like in the U.S. and UK).
how does nationalism affect voting behavior
Nationalism correlates strongly with vote choice.
regionalism
region-based nationalism - the political mobilization of individuals based on their common attachment to a region.
Consociationalism
a political system set up to give regional groups some share of power in the central government.
examples of consociational systems
Proportional electoral systems – regional parties can often get cabinet posts.
Federalism or devolution.
Formal power-sharing in the executive branch
