1. Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems. In federalism, the term federal government refers to the government at national level, while the terms states means government at a subnational level. Power is balanced through two levels of government and they each posses the capacity to act directly on behalf of the people with authority. In confederation, authority is decentralized. This means the ability to act depends on the consent of the subnational government. Finally, unitary systems is in contrast to federalism. This system creates a subnational government where significant authority is concentrated. The primary differences in the roles of citizens lies in the distribution of power and authority between the central government and lower-level entities.
  2. Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power. The system of division of power is designed to separate the powers of the three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial. The constitution to further protect citizens, set up a system of checks and balances. “Basically, each branch of government has a certain number of checks it can use to ensure the other branches do not become too powerful. For example, the president can veto legislation, the Supreme Court can declare acts of Congress unconstitutional, and the Senate must approve treaties and presidential appointments.” stated by the article “Overview of United States Government and Politics” by Martin Kelly.
  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. During the Covid-19 pandemic, some ways the federal government influenced the actions of NY state and local governments was through policy guidelines and financial assistance. The federal government provided state governments with protocols for testing of the virus, staying up to date with vaccinations, and even provided guidelines on practicing good hygiene; which resulted in state governments to enforce these protocols through agencies such as the CDC, “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”. The federal government also gave fundings to states and local governments, including New York, to provide relief to individuals or businesses and bolster healthcare systems.

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