- Where authority comes from and how citizens interact with different levels of government is what distinguishes federal, confederal, and unitary systems from one another. In a federal system, authority is divided between the national and state governments. For example, within the United States, citizens vote for state officials, including governors and state legislators, as well as federal representatives. In a confederation, the individual states hold most government authority. The central government, in comparison to the federal government, is weaker and depends heavily on the states. Lastly, in a unitary system, important government authority comes from the national government, while local governments are granted power by the national government.
- Division of power, to my understanding, is a system designed to prevent government authority from being concentrated in one place. For example, the United States divides its power among three branches, namely the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Each branch is designed to keep any one branch from overpowering the others. Another way the United States divides its power is through federalism. For example, government power is divided between the federal government and state governments. The federal government regulates interstate commerce, issues currency, conducts foreign affairs, and declares war, while the state governments handle matters that fall within their borders.
- The main ways a federal government can shape the actions of state and local governments are through funding, grants, regulations, and mandates. As shown in Chapter 3.3, grants are described as “carrots” because state and local governments are more likely to pursue national objectives when receiving federal money. During COVID-19, the CARES Act of 2020 was introduced, under which federal money was granted to states to help respond to the pandemic. As shown, the Coronavirus Relief Fund distributed about $7.5 billion to New York State. But as the state received the money, it came with federal rules concerning eligible pandemic-related expenses, thus controlling how local government spent its money. Another example is FEMA, which stands for “Federal Emergency Management Agency,” and provided federal assistance that covered 100% of eligible costs for work performed from January 20, 2020, through July 1, 2022. COVID-19 connects directly to the concept of cooperative federalism, where the federal government provided funding with established conditions for its use.
- Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.
- Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.
- 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.
