- Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.
In a federal system the power is split between central and state government and the citizens have a “voice”. We vote for state officials and we vote for presidents and such. In a confederation system the power is focused state to state, the main contact for citizens are their state officials and they heavily influence central government decisions. In a unitary system the authority is given to the central government meaning state officials have less power and citizens interact with central government voting in elections.
- Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.
Division of power is the system we use to divide governmental power nationally and sub-nationally. Our federal government would handle decision that would affect the entire nation, like foreign policy. While our state government handles decisions that would only affect the state, like education. While both handle different areas of the governmental decisions, both are expected to come together whenever it is needed and normally the federal governments say is the last word.
- 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 heavily influences state decisions. During the COVID-19 pandemic the federal government issued specific rules that every state was to follow like social distancing and only essential workers were to go to work. They were also mask mandates, quarantines, and eventually for vaccines if you wanted to work in certain positions, like in a school. The federal government also helped New York financially with programs like The American Rescue Plan and the COVID relief funds.
