1. In government citizens play different roles depending on whether a country uses a unitary, federal, or confederation system. In a unitary system of government, political power is centralized by one authority. Local forms of government still exist, but their power and governance can only be made at the national level. Because of this, citizens primarily interact with and influence the national government, and their political participation is more centralized. In a confederation system, the system is the opposite: the states/provinces that make up the nation hold most of the power, and the overall power that central government has is very limited. Due to this citizens mainly participate through their state governments because the national authority direct power on the individuals cant occur without the states cooperation. In a federal system the power of governance is balanced between the national and state governments, each having its own authority.
  2. The division of power can be understood in two ways. First, there is a vertical division of power, this refers to how the authority is split between the central and regional governments. This determines which level of government is responsible for certain policies, this includes education, law enforcement, or national defense. Second, there is a horizontal division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This balance between the separate branches makes it so that no single branch becomes too powerful. All together, the vertical and horizontal divisions of power structure how the government functions and how its citizens interact with it.
  3. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the federal government determined New York’s actions mainly through funding, guidance, and emergency support. Federal disaster declarations opened access to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) money, this provided help so New York could open testing sites and continue to supply its people emergency services. Congress also provided major relief funds creating a model of what the state and local governments could afford to implement. The federal government also managed vaccine distribution and issued CDC public-health guidance throughout the nation. In which New York followed the federal rules on masking, school operations, and vaccination priorities.
  4. In conclusion, the resources and guidelines the federal government imposed had directed how New York responded to the situation while still allowing the state to set its own mandates.

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