- Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.
In the confederation system, citizens have the most power because this system is comprised of local governments. In the unitary system, citizens are not involved and leave all the power and choice up to their central governments. In a federal system, the separation of powers must compromise between the democratic aspirations of the citizens and the ruling class.
2. Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.
The system of division of power is split into three branches: The legislative branch, the Judicial branch, and the Executive branch. The Legislative branch consists of Congress, two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, responsible for making federal law. The Executive branch is the President of the United States, who executes, enforces, and administers the laws and government. The Judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and federal courts that interpret and apply US laws through cases brought before them; they can also rule laws unconstitutional.
3. How does the federal government shape the actions of state and local governments? Write your answer based on doing a bit of research on how the federal government has influenced the actions of NY state and local governments, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The federal government shapes the actions of the state and local governments through the distribution of grants, mandates, incentives, and aid. An example of the federal government influencing the actions of NY state and local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic is when they imposed federal mandates to implement programs like the Coronavirus Relief Fund; these mandates were either fully or partially funded by the federal government.
