keilany rivera

In a federal system, citizens participate in government at multiple levels, including national, state, and local elections. In contrast, a unitary system places most political power in the national government, which limits how much influence citizens have at lower levels because decisions are mainly made centrally. In a confederation, however, most power is held by the states, so citizens tend to have more direct influence through their state governments rather than a strong national authority.

Division of power refers to the way authority is shared among different levels of government. In the United States, this means the federal government is responsible for national issues such as immigration and foreign policy, while state governments handle areas like education and local laws. This system helps prevent too much power from being concentrated in one level of government.

The federal government can also influence state and local governments through funding and national policies. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal agencies like the CDC influenced cities such as New York by issuing public health guidelines. These recommendations included mask mandates, social distancing rules, and safety procedures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

1. In the federal system citizens participate in the government on different levels like nation, state or local elections. In a unitary system the most power is usually held by the national government which citizen don’t have that much influence over so they go more towards central government. Lastly in a confederation system, most power is held by states so citizens influence their state government more than national.
2. Division of power means the authority is shared between different levels of government. In the u.s. the federal government handles national issues like immigration and state government handles education. These prevent from power being over powered in one place.
3. The federal government influences state or local governments through things like funding and policies. For example during Covid the federal government influenced nyc by setting public health guidelines through cdc. The cdc was able to issue rules on wearing masks, social distancing and safety regulations to help slow down the virus.

1. I think the role of citizens changes depending on how power is organized. In the U.S. federal system, people are connected to several levels of government. They can vote and are represented at the national, state, and local levels, which gives them more ways to participate and influence decisions. In a confederation system, most power stays with the states, not the central government. This means people are more involved with their state governments, and the national government does not have much control over them. Their voices matter more locally than nationally. In a unitary system, most power is held by one central government. Citizens mainly vote and interact with that government, and local governments do not have much independence.
2. Dividing power means no single part of government has too much control. In the U.S., this happens in two ways. First, power is split between the federal government and the states, which is called federalism. Second, the federal government itself is divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Each branch has its own job. One makes laws, one enforces them, and one interprets them. They also check each other, so if one branch gets too powerful, the others can limit it. The main idea is to prevent abuse of power and keep things balanced.
3. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government had a big influence on New York, even though states still had some control. One major way was through funding. The federal government gave money to states for hospitals, vaccines, and economic support. Because of this, New York had to follow certain guidelines to get that money. Another way was through national agencies and their recommendations. For example, federal health agencies set rules about masks, vaccines, and safety measures. Even if the state made its own choices, it still relied on federal guidance and resources. There were also times when New York leaders disagreed with the federal government about how strict policies should be. However, the federal government still had power because it could set nationwide policies, provide funding, and create rules that states had to consider. So, even though states like New York have their own authority, the federal government can shape what they do by using money, rules, and national leadership, especially during emergencies like COVID-19.

1. In different systems of government, the role of citizens changes depending on how power is organized. In a federal system, like the United States, power is shared between the national government and the state governments . Because of this, citizens are involved in both levels. People vote for national leaders such as the president and members of Congress, but they also vote for state leaders like governors and state legislators. In a unitary system, most of the power is held by the national government and local governments only have the authority that the central government allows them to have. In contrast, in a confederation, most of the power belongs to the states or regions, while the national government is much weaker and depends on the states for cooperation .

2. When I think about the division of power, I understand it as the way responsibilities are shared between different levels of government. In the United States, the Constitution gives certain powers to the federal government , such as regulating interstate commerce and handling foreign policy, while other powers are left to the states. There are also some powers that both levels share, which means they have to work together to address certain issues.

3. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government influenced New York through funding and national health guidance . Programs like the CARES Act provided money to support hospitals, testing sites, vaccines and unemployment benefits. Federal agencies such as the CDC also gave recommendations about masks and safety measures, which New York used when creating its public health policies .

1. In a confederation system, most power is held by the individual states or regions, and the central government is very weak. Because of this, citizens mainly influence government through their state or local governments, and the national government works indirectly through those states rather than directly with citizens. In a federal system, power is shared between a national government and state governments. Citizens participate in government at multiple levels, such as voting in national elections for federal officials and state elections for governors and legislatures. In a unitary system, most political power is concentrated in the central government. Local governments exist but only have authority granted by the national government, so citizens generally interact with and depend more on the central government for decisions and policies.
2. The division of power means that governmental authority is split among different levels or branches so that no single group has complete control. In systems like federalism, certain powers belong to the national government while others belong to state or local governments. Each area has its own responsibility and issues to focus on. This separation helps prevent the concentration of power and allows different governments to focus on different issues, such as national defense at the federal level and education or local laws at the state or local level. 
3. The federal government often shapes the actions of state and local governments through laws, funding, and national programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government passed several relief bills that provided billions of dollars to states and cities, which influenced how they responded to the crisis. An example would be how the American Rescue Plan provided about $12.75 billion in aid to New York State and billions more to local governments and organizations to support health programs, economic recovery, and public services. New York City also received about $5.8 billion in federal funds to support pandemic responses. Since the funding did some with a specific reason on how to use the money decisions directly influenced how New York’s state and local governments designed their public health programs and much more.

1. The main difference between roles in the citizens in government between federal, confederation, and unitary systems is how everyone has power in them. In a federal system, powers are distributed between the Federal government and the state like they are in current US. Citizens vote for who they want in power. In the confederation system, there are state governments which the citizens vote for. There is barely any influence for the central government here. The unitary system has one federal central government where citizens directly vote for them. However, local governments have little to no power.
2. Division of power is when the responsibilities as well as authority is split between local and centralized governments. In our case, the state and federal. Some powers are given to the state and some to federal and this also comes with checks and balances. This make sure there is national security and a sense of local authorities in the country.
3. During situations like the covid19 pandemic the federal government gave local authorities in NY support like CDC, which gave mandates as well as guidance on how to handle the pandemic. The federal government also gave funding to the state to help support it in many ways. This could mean the hospitals or the small businesses at the time who were struggling. With guidance and money the federal government helped New York state stay afloat during covid.

1. A primary difference in the role citizens have among federal, confederation and unitary systems would be the amount of influence they have on shaping that government. In a federal(ist) and confederation system, citizens would typically vote for candidates that represent their interests, which is particularly the most powerful in a confederation since the local governments would likely supersede a national government. Conversely, in a unitary system, citizens play the least or no role, as a central/national government holds the most influence over any local governments.

2. Division of power is meant to keep any single branch of power from having full authority/unilateral influence over a wide government. Each branch is meant to keep the others in check by making sure there are limits to what they can do; the absence of these checks and balances would liken a government resembling something like a monarchy where a single branch makes all the decisions.

3. One of the biggest factors during the COVID-19 pandemic from the federal level was the number of grants provided to the state/local levels. During the lockdown, nearly every single state suffered economic downturn due to quarantine procedures yet health, emergency and food industries were still expected to operate. Although not every state received equal funding, one can argue that without federal grants, more people would have died or be a victim to more drastic consequences.

On the other side of the coin, the delay of action, information and safety guidelines meant some states adopted their own measures, particularly when it came to vaccines. Without a cohesive health plan and recommendations, local governments implanted their own plans and requirements for vaccinations among their populace.

1. A unitary system puts most of the power at the national level of the government. The local or regional governments can only exercise power that the national government has delegated to them. In contrast, in a system of confederation, most of the power rests with the regional governments, therefore, the national or central government is much weaker. In that situation, the regional or state governments influence the citizens more. The federal system, like the U.S. Constitution, involves a more or less equal distribution of power between the national government and the state governments. This results in citizens being governed and governing at both levels, therefore combining national integration with sub-national self-rule.
2. The division of power system involves how different tiers of government share authority. In the federal scheme, there are power centers in the national government, such as national defense, immigration, and foreign policy. There are also power centers in the state governments, such as policies on education, local policing, and some public health decisions. There are also divisions of power concerning both federal and state government laws/policies. It divides power among state governments so that no single government level becomes overly powerful, and it enables the states to meet the diverse needs of their people.
3. The actions of state and local governments can be shaped by the federal government through funding, the creation of national programs, and policy guidance. One example is how New York State and local governments were affected by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government provided funding to New York through the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan and provided billions to support public health responses, testing and vaccination efforts, and to help schools and the economy recover. Despite New York State’s own subjective decisions, like lockdowns and public health restrictions, federal funding and guidelines significantly influenced how state and local governments responded to the pandemic.

1. In the federal system, voting is a key thing that citizens partake in. On a national level with presidential elections, state elections with governor elections, and local like mayoral elections. Within the unitary system, citizens direct their efforts towards the central government because it holds most of the power. Local offices like mayoral elections and school boards commonly carry decisions made by the central government. Finally in the confederation system, citizens direct their main participation toward their state or regional governments. The central government in a confederation system doesn’t hold the most power, instead it’s more important for citizens to put pressure on their own state.
2. The division of government splits up the power so no one can take all of the power for themselves. They do this with branches of government, legislative, executive and judicial branch. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch enforces them and the judicial branch presents them.
3. The federal government shapes state and local actions through funding with conditions, legal mandates, guidance, and emergency powers, as seen in its heavy influence on New York during COVID-19. New York received billions in aid, which guided state budgets, local spending, and public health measures.