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Federalism

Federalism. Defining Federalism. What is Federalism? Federalism: a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the land and people Unitary governments: a way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government

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Federalism

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  1. Federalism

  2. Defining Federalism • What is Federalism? • Federalism: a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the land and people • Unitary governments: a way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government • Confederation: The United Nations is a modern example. • Intergovernmental Relations: the workings of the federal system- the entire set of interactions among national, state and local governments

  3. Defining Federalism • Why Is Federalism So Important? • Decentralizes our politics • More opportunities to participate • Decentralizes our policies • Federal and state governments handle different problems. • States regulate drinking ages, marriage, and speed limits. • States can solve the same problem in different ways and tend to be policy innovators.

  4. The Constitutional Basis of Federalism • The Division of Power • Supremacy Clause: Article VI of the Constitution states the following are supreme: • The U.S. Constitution • Laws of Congress • Treaties • Yet, national government cannot usurp state powers. • Tenth Amendment

  5. The Constitutional Basis of Federalism • The Tenth Amendment • The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, • nor prohibited by it to the states, • are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

  6. Advantages for Democracy Increases access to government Local problems can be solved locally Hard for political parties or interest groups to dominate all politics Disadvantages for Democracy States have different levels of service Local interest can counteract national interests Too many levels of government and too much money Understanding Federalism

  7. Understanding Federalism

  8. Understanding Federalism • Federalism and the Scope of Government • What should the scope of national government be relative to the states? • National power increased with industrialization, expansion of individual rights, and social services. • Most problems require resources afforded to the national, not state governments.

  9. Summary • American federalism is a governmental system in which power is shared between a central government and the 50 state governments. • Federalism leads to both advantages and disadvantages to democracy. • The United States has moved from dual to cooperative federalism; fiscal federalism. • What are these? . . . Stay tuned

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