1. Citizens role differ depending on the system of governance operating in the nation. The different systems include federal, confederation and unitary systems. In a federal system, the governance and power is distributed on the federal and state level. Citizens can engage in a federal system by voting for their preferred President, members of Congress, on a federal level and also vote for mayors, state legislators, governors, city councils on a state and local level. This way citizens can elect members who will represent their choices and advocate for policies that they prefer. In a confederation system, individual states and local governments have maximum power reserved to them whereas the central federal government has limited control. Citizens have role to play in influencing local policies and laws which also implies that the legislations among states will differ significantly. Under a unitary system, the national government possesses most of or all of the power, and the local governments exist essentially as administrative extensions. The citizens mostly have contact with the national government since most of the decisions are made there and they just instruct the local governments. Local governments have not much autonomy and implement things on instruction by the national government. France and United Kingdom are examples of the unitary systems where local government powers are subordinated to the central government.

2. The division of power implies how power, control and authority is divided among the various levels of governance. In a federal system power is distributed among the national government and state or regional sectors. Each level has control over certain factors and responsibilities. The Constitution can outline the powers of the different levels. For instance, in the US, the federal government has control of printing of notes, taxation policies, national security etc. Whereas, the state government has control over enforcing environmental legislations, education, local law enforcement. In a confederation, regional or state governments possess the bulk of the powers, with the central government remaining weak. The central government takes action only if the states wish to relinquish some powers. The initial setup of the United States under the Articles of Confederation is an instance where there were limited powers for the national government, with states having great autonomy. In a Unitary system, most of the power is reserved to the central Government and the local governments have lesser or no independent power. Countries like United Kingdom and France operate on the unitary system.

3. The U.S. federal government intervened extensively in New York State’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic through economic support, public health policies, and emergency aid. The federal government provided funding in the form of relief packages like the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan. The funding helped with unemployed locals, stimulus payments, and assistance to state and local governments. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also covered temporary hospitals and emergency supplies. Public Health Guidelines: National government set up health guidelines through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which were followed by New York through placing restrictions on companies, public events, and wearing masks in some locations. New York sometimes went beyond national guidelines with more strict lockdowns and vaccination mandates. Cooperation and The federal government assisted in facilitating coordination among states. New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut formed a regional compact to implement standardized travel bans and quarantine policies for people arriving from high-risk states. Federal agencies like the National Guard assisted in creating mass-vaccination sites, such as the Javits Center in New York City, and distributing vital supplies. The pandemic underscored the way the federal government impacts state and local government action in terms of funding assistance, policy guidelines, and coordination to properly respond to national crises.