19 Sep 2022

174

Pros and cons of federalism, unitary and confederate systems

Format: APA

Academic level: College

Paper type: Essay (Any Type)

Words: 598

Pages: 2

Downloads: 0

Federalism 

Federalism is a system of government, where power is devolved to lower levels of government. In this case, there are multi-levels of governance in a given nation (Bardes, Shelley & Schmidt, 2015). There are the national and state governments. This system of government has advantages and disadvantages, which have to be considered. 

Pros 

The first advantage of federalism is that it enables the devolvement and diffusion of power to the grassroots (Bardes, Shelley & Schmidt, 2015). With federalism, power is decentralized and this comes with the devolvement of various services to levels that are close to the common citizen. Federalism also has the pro of increasing the participation of citizens in governance. Local people are able to seek positions in the state governments and work. Furthermore, federalism helps a country to avoid dictatorship by one powerful president. Power of the presidency is shared with the state governors. Therefore, the president cannot have excessive power in such a system of government. This scenario also helps in minimizing corruption within the country since the national government does not have massive resources to use in corrupt deals (Youth Leadership Blog, 2015). Most of the resources are normally devolved to the state governments. It is also vital to observe the fact that a federal system of government ensures that development is felt in all areas of the country (Bardes, Shelley & Schmidt, 2015). Each strives to ensure it develops and brings improvement of the living standards of the citizenry. There is some sense of competition for development among the states, which is good for the whole country (Youth Leadership Blog, 2015). It has also been stated that federalism creates employment chances fort citizens in the states hence reducing the level of unemployment in the whole country. 

It’s time to jumpstart your paper!

Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.

Get custom essay

Cons 

Federalism has its fair share of disadvantages. The first demerit is that it sometimes increases the inequality among states with developing more than others. Some states may be affected by natural conditions that hinder their growth rate while others could be in strategic geographic areas, which allow them to have exponential development (Youth Leadership Blog, 2015). The major demerit of federalism is that it causes duplication of roles and duties in a nation hence ballooning of the public wage bill. 

Unitary system 

A unitary system of government has only one center of power for the entire nation. In this case, the president is the overall leader with no shared power at any other lower level. This system of government has its pros and cons. 

Pros 

It is a system of government that enables unilateral decision-making for the whole country. In this kind of government, there is no chance of conflicting decisions as witnessed in cases where there are different levels of governance. The administration is uniform for the whole country, a factor that means people in the whole country get same services. Therefore, it is s system of government that enables equality in all areas of the country. 

Cons 

Unitary system of government encourages corruption since there are massive resources at the disposal of the president. Furthermore, this system of government normally encourages tyrannical and dictatorial leadership in nations. 

Confederate system 

A confederation is a union of political organizations. In this case, individual nations unite to form a government (Bardes, Shelley & Schmidt, 2015). Therefore, it simply involves cooperation among independent states or countries. 

Pros 

The main advantage of this system of government is that there is cooperation among the individual states, which leads to accelerated economic and social growth as well as development. The synergies created make each nation or state stable. 

Cons 

The main disadvantage of this system of government is that there are always high chances of frequent conflicts among the individual states over the decisions made. 

Overall, it is vital to note that the United States of America should stick to the current federal system of government because of its many merits over the other two types mentioned. I, therefore, believe the current federal system of power should be kept. 

References 

Bardes, B. A., Shelley, M. C., & Schmidt, S. W. (2015).  American Government and Politics Today: Essentials 2015-2016 Edition . Ontario: Nelson Education. 

Youth Leadership Blog (2015). 8 Far-Reaching Pros and Cons of Federalism. NYLN . Retrieved from https://nyln.org/8-far-reaching-pros-and-cons-of-federalism . 

Illustration
Cite this page

Select style:

Reference

StudyBounty. (2023, September 16). Pros and cons of federalism, unitary and confederate systems.
https://studybounty.com/pros-and-cons-of-federalism-unitary-and-confederate-systems-essay

illustration

Related essays

We post free essay examples for college on a regular basis. Stay in the know!

Professional Athletes and Corrections: Aaron Hernandez

People break the law by engaging in activities that disturb the peace of others. Lawbreakers are punished in different ways that include death, fines, confinement and so forth ( Fox, 1983) . Correctional facilities...

Words: 874

Pages: 3

Views: 119

Financial Investigations: What Could Look Like Fraud But Be Explained by Industry Trends

Case Study 1 _ What are the possible fraud symptoms in this case? _ Eugene’s company is an example of businesses that participate in fraudulent documentation, intending to attract more investors. The past...

Words: 338

Pages: 1

Views: 144

Political Campaign Communication: Inside and Out

Democratic Idealism refers to academic views in which political ethics are based while campaign pragmatism is the measure of value for consultants. The theories behind perfect democracy are established from the...

Words: 286

Pages: 1

Views: 141

Understanding the Human Nature and Capitalist Society

The appraisal of Karl Marx and Adam Smith's conceptions with regards to human nature, needs, conditions, and capacities conceptualizes the ideology of capitalism and economics that echoes the illegitimate interest...

Words: 2324

Pages: 8

Views: 491

Realism Theory: Definition, Explanation, and Criticism

The international relations theory that most accurately describes the world is the realism theory. Realism is based on the principle which indicates that states strive to increase their power when compared to other...

Words: 322

Pages: 1

Views: 162

New Policy Cracks Down on US Military Force Deployability

The US military is one of the most advanced in the world today. Every year, the US spends billions of dollars for the training of its military personnel in readiness to respond rapidly and effectively to any dangers....

Words: 351

Pages: 1

Views: 121

illustration

Running out of time?

Entrust your assignment to proficient writers and receive TOP-quality paper before the deadline is over.

Illustration