1.Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.

In a federal system, citizens have a say in both national and state governments. They can influence policies at multiple levels since power is shared between the two. In a confederation, the central government is pretty weak, so most authority lies with individual states. This means citizens usually engage more with their state governments because the national government doesn’t have much power. In a unitary system, the central government holds most of the authority, and local governments mainly carry out its policies. Here, citizens often have less direct influence on what the national government does.

2.Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.

The division of power is all about how different levels of government share authority. In a federal system, we see a clear split between national and state powers, which helps create a balance. Both levels can operate on their own but still need to work together. This setup is important because it gives us, as citizens, more ways to get involved and have our voices heard.

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, the federal government set up programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help small businesses. This program gave loans to businesses so they could keep their workers on payroll, even when times were tough. In New York, for example, local governments used this funding to support struggling businesses in their communities. It really showed how federal support could help state and local governments respond better to the crisis and keep people employed.

1. The primary difference in the role of citizens in a government changes between federal, confederation, and the unitary system. Under the federal system, the citizen have both power in the individual state that they live in, as well as the national government as a whole. The two levels of government have their own powers and control different areas. In a confederation, the citizens are controlled by their state and have limited to none influence on how the citizens are governed. This allows the rules and regulations to be different between every state. Finally, a unitary system has its power centralized in the national government who gets their powers from the states.
2. The division of power, is a system put in place to distribute the power between different groups to achieve a certain style of government. In our federal government, we have checks and balances that are in place that keep each of our branches of government from overextending their powers. Each of these branches have their own unique responsibilities however still work as a group to run the government.
3. The Federal Government shape the actions of state and local government by providing aid and funding for these government as well as creating mandates. This was seen during the pandemic where the government was responsible for keeping businesses afloat during the economic downturns that occurred during the pandemic. The government gave many benefits to business and families affected by the pandemic to keep people afloat during the time. Additionally, states and local government were forced to abide by mask mandates in public areas and would be susceptible to fines if they did not maintain this rule.

1. Citizens of a federal government are often prompted to actively participate in their government by electing city officials and congressmen because the federal system created two systems of government. Federal government is a shared government between the national government and the states. Laws can be made at both state and national governments. Unlike a confederal system where the states have the majority of power and therefore they are able to govern themselves in a way however, the United States moved away from this system because it doesn’t give the impression of a unified front in the way that the united stated want to be represented. A unitary system is a system in which the national government has all the power and the local government carries out all of the orders of the national government.

2. The system of division of power is made up of of the three branches of government, the first and often viewed as the most important is the Legislative Branch. This branch is made up of the senates and the House of Representatives, they make the laws. The Executive Branch enforces the laws this branch includes the President, vice President and the Cabinet and they come together to enforce the laws. The Judicial Branch interprets laws. They can determine a law unconstitutional.

3. After reading the articles about the benefits of the federal government, I see the connection in which the federal government can encourage people to actively participate in their own government. The federal government also influenced the closure of non-essential business and schools In March 2021, when former President Donald Trump declared that the businesses and schools be shut down until things were looking up, some state government officials may not have agreed but ultimately they came together to decide what was best for everyone. In addition, the federal government enacted the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, which provided local governments with much needed fiscal relief to help mitigate the ongoing fiscal and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with state and local spending on unemployment insurance, other public assistance, and health and hospitals rising to $230 billion above usual in 2021 which was allocated by the state government from the federal government. 

1. The United States federal system of government creates a unique dynamic in the role of citizens and the division of power compared to other systems like confederations or unitary governments. In a federal system, citizens participate in governance at multiple levels, electing representatives to federal, state, and local offices. This multi-tiered structure provides more opportunities for political engagement and allows citizens to appeal to different levels of government for policy changes. In contrast, confederations emphasize state-level engagement with limited national government power, while unitary systems centralize authority and citizen interaction primarily at the national level.

2. The U.S. system of divided power is characterized by both horizontal and vertical separation. Horizontally, power is distributed among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. On the other hand, vertically, it is shared between federal and state governments. The Constitution enumerates specific federal powers, reserves others for the states, and establishes concurrent powers shared by both levels. This complex arrangement, coupled with a system of checks and balances, aims to prevent the concentration of power and protect individual liberties.

3. The federal government influenced the actions of New York state and local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic in several key ways:

1. Federal Funding: The federal government provided crucial financial support that enabled state and local response efforts. For example, on March 3, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed into law a $40 million emergency management authorization for New York’s coronavirus response. Later, the state received federal CARES Act funding to support various initiatives, including $65 million for childcare providers and $4.3 million for emergency management agencies.
2. Federal Agency Guidance: Agencies like the CDC and FDA played an important role in shaping state policies. For instance, New York worked with the CDC to develop criteria for identifying and responding to COVID-related illnesses in children. The FDA granted New York labs more flexibility to begin patient testing, which helped expand the state’s testing capacity.
3. Federal Resource Deployment: The federal government deployed personnel and medical resources to support New York’s efforts. This included sending the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort to New York Harbor and having the Army Corps of Engineers help set up emergency hospital sites.
4. National Strategy Influence: Governor Cuomo frequently called on the federal government to provide clearer national strategies on issues like testing and reopening criteria. While states maintained significant autonomy, these calls for federal leadership influenced the state’s approach and highlighted the need for coordination between federal and state efforts.
5. Travel and Border Policies: Federal decisions on international travel restrictions and screening protocols at ports of entry affected how New York, particularly New York City, managed the influx of potentially infected individuals.

Resource for answer 3 –
https://www.nga.org/coronavirus-state-actions/new-york/

Discussion Board 7.1

1. Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.

The primary differences in the role of citizens in government among federal, confederation, and unitary systems are:

• In a federal system, citizens participate in both national and subnational governments, with clear responsibilities at each level. For example, in the U.S., citizens elect representatives to Congress and the president at the national level, while also electing state legislators and governors in the state level. This participation in both national and state elections gives citizens influence over both local and national governments. Federal systems divide power between levels.
• In a confederation, citizens engage with their state governments, which has more power than the central government which is weak and relies on the consent of the subnational governments. Therefore, Citizens’ influence on national decisions is limited, because the central authority is acting according to the state’s decisions. Confederations maximize regional power
• In a unitary system, citizens mainly interact with the national government, where most authority is held. Local governments, if there are any at all, are very dependent on the central authority. Additionally, Citizens may have some roles at the local state level, but the more significant decisions are only made by the central national government. Unitary systems centralize authority in the national government.

2. Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.

• The system of division of power in the U.S. is the system the divides the authority between 4 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. This system aims to prevent any one of the branches from being too powerful by setting checks and balances, where each branch monitors and limits the actions of the other branches. For example, the president (executive branch) can veto laws passed by Congress (legislative branch), but Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority. additionally, the judicial branch can review laws or executive actions.

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, the federal government significantly influenced the actions of New York state by funding, guidelines, and emergency measures.
  • The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided federal funds to help states like New York manage the economic crisis that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. New York received aid worth billions of dollars to assist hospitals, providing unemployment benefits, and help small businesses. This financial support allowed NY state to set health measures, provide healthcare services, and stabilize its economy. (https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus , https://www.nysed.gov/federal-education-covid-response-funding/cares-act-allocations-and-application-information ).
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued health guidelines on mask-wearing, social distancing, and vaccination. New York State could decide how to apply these guidelines, federal recommendations shaped the state’s pandemic policies. Governor Andrew Cuomo adopted many federal health directives and modified them according to NY state needs. (https://www.cdc.gov/covid/index.html, https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-main.page )
  • President Biden’s vaccine requirement for federal employees, influenced New York’s own vaccination campaigns. For example, New York enforced vaccination or testing mandates for state employees and healthcare workers. (https://www.whitehouse.gov/covidplan/ , https://hca-nys.org/vaccine-requirements-for-nyc-contracted-staff-including-home-care-and-other-covid-19-briefs/#:~:text=State%20Worker%20Vaccination%20Requirement&text=Cuomo%20announced%20that%20New%20York,COVID%2D19%20by%20Labor%20Day. )

1. Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems. Citizens often have dual citizenship, with rights and responsibilities at both the national and regional levels. They participate in elections for both federal and local representatives, influencing policy at multiple levels. The division of power allows for diverse regional interests to be represented. In confederation citizens typically engage primarily with their local or state governments. The central authority has limited power, which means citizens might feel less connected to it. Their involvement is more focused on state-level governance, and the effectiveness of citizen participation can vary widely depending on how much power the confederation has and how it functions. Citizens primarily interact with the national government, as local governments have limited autonomy. Their participation is generally channeled through national elections and policies. While local officials may exist, they largely implement central policies, meaning citizens may have less influence on local governance.

2 Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power. The system of division of power refers to the distribution of authority and responsibilities among different levels of government to prevent any single entity from becoming too powerful. This can take several forms, primarily seen in federal systems. The division of power aims to enhance democratic governance by promoting participation, protecting individual rights, and maintaining a system of checks and balances to prevent tyranny. By distributing authority, it encourages collaboration and responsiveness to citizens’ needs at various levels.

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 provided substantial funding through relief packages like the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan. This financial support helped New York state and local governments cover pandemic-related expenses, such as healthcare costs, unemployment benefits, and public health initiatives. The influx of federal funds allowed state and local governments to maintain services and support their populations during the crisis. Overall, the federal government played a critical role in shaping the responses of New York state and local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic through funding, guidance, and regulatory frameworks. This collaborative approach highlighted the interconnectedness of federal and state governance, particularly in times of crisis.

1. The difference between the roles of citizens in government among the federal, confederation and unitary system is that in the federal system power is shared between a central government and regional government and the power is also divided between them. In the confederation system the regional government holds the most power while the central is weaker. In the unitary system the central government has all the power.
2. the division of power separates responsibility between the different government so the power can be balanced between them.
3. When covid happened the government set public health policy in order to prevent the spread of covid. They also gave us supplies like free face masks and gloves and funded us while we weren’t able to work because everything was closed.

1.The Role of Citizens in Federal, Confederation, and Unitary Systems

When analyzing federal, confederation, and unitary systems, I observe that citizens’ participation in government varies significantly. The United States of America is a federal system of government; this implies that power is divided between the federal and state governments, giving citizens a voice in both. This clearly indicates that citizens can make local decisions through their state representatives while national choices can be made through the members of Congress. In a confederation, states retain most of the power; thus, citizens can participate more actively in local government but not in the central government. This structure can reduce the strength of the national government and its capacity to act on broad agenda items. On the other hand, the unitary system of government, where power is vested in one national government, reduces the capacity of citizens primarily to participate in local affairs. I think that the federal system is the most appropriate for people to engage in the process due to the fact that it can sometimes be challenging to comprehend which tier of the government is in charge of specific matters.

2. Division of Power

As I am aware, power sharing means the separation of power, where power is decentralized between various branches of government so that nobody can amass too much power. This is because the US Constitution establishes the principle of the division of powers in order to prevent any branch of government or level of government from dominating the other. This system is supposed to safeguard the rights of individuals and make sure that decisions reached are in the general interest of the people, but in reality it sometimes creates a stalemate. Moreover, competitive federalism, whereby the state and federal actors view for the most appropriate solutions, can either improve or worsen the decision-making process.

3. Federal Government’s Influence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The federal government has either influenced or shaped the various activities or actions that state and local governments have undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the perspective of New York, this fact can be established by certain examples, such as the policies of social distancing, mask-wearing, and vaccine distribution issued by the federal government. Correspondingly, it also arranged for a certain amount of emergency funding available through the programs of the CARES Act to help the states cope with the economic consequence of the pandemic scenario. However, due to the federal system of government, each state, including New York, was at liberty on matters concerning the lockdowns, closure of businesses, and any other measure that may have an effect on the spread of the virus. This was a more efficient approach that was useful for the New York state but also introduced variation in the work across the country. This proves how federalism provides room for variation but, at the same time, creates ambiguity and disparate measures during calamities.

1. In federal systems, power is balanced between a central authority and regional governments, both of which engage with citizens and can legislate on specific issues. Confederations place more power at the regional level, with the central authority often needing agreement from the members for major decisions. In contrast, unitary systems concentrate authority centrally, and local administrations primarily execute national directives.

2. Division of power refers to how responsibilities are split in a federal system. For instance, the federal government in the U.S. handles national defense and currency issues, while states manage education and public safety. Some responsibilities, like taxation and infrastructure, are shared to ensure efficiency and unity.

3. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. federal government influenced states like New York by providing guidelines through agencies such as the CDC and financial support. This federal involvement guided New York’s approach to lockdowns, testing, and resource management, helping to coordinate responses to the pandemic’s challenges.

1. Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems. The primary differences in the role of citizens in government between these three systems were that in federal systems, citizens were the ones that had the authority of the land and it was the responsibility of both the states and the national government to follow the will of the people. This meant that citizens interacted with both their state government and the national government. In confederation systems, citizens could only affect the government by influencing the government of the state that they live in, therefore they only really interacted with their state government and not the national government. In unitary systems, citizens could only affect the government by influencing the national government, therefore they only interacted with the national government rather than the government of the state that they lived in. 

2. Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power. The way that I understand the division of power is that the power of the federal government (or national government) is divided into three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. This was done alongside a system of checks and balances in order to ensure that no one branch would ever become too powerful, since the branches can always check the power of each other. These branches all work together so that America is ran well and to set guidelines for all citizens to live by. The legislative branch is the branch that is responsible for making the federal laws. The executive branch is the branch that is responsible for enforcing the laws and the government. The judicial branch is the branch that is responsible for applying the U.S laws within local and supreme courts through the cases that are brought to them. 

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 via the laws and orders that they give regarding different situations. Whatever the federal government decides, the state and local governments have to follow suit with that order. On top of that, the federal government are the ones that usually provide the state and local governments with the necessary resources in order to follow suit with the policies that the federal government has put in place or with policies that the state and local governments have put in place in order to serve the people. This can be seen through how the federal government influenced the actions of NY state and local governments, in that the federal government directed aid to the local governments of New York in order to mitigate some of the worst fiscal impacts from the pandemic (through things such as the CARES act and the ARP). There’s also the moment when Trump ended up thinking about imposing a quarantine on New York and Cuomo wanted to push back on that, but ultimately, the federal government had the final say on that since they wanted to make sure that the constitutional rights of Americans were protected within this dangerous time.