1. Citizens can participate in the federal system by electing representatives such as governors, state legislators and presidents. In the federal system, power is divided between national and regional governments. In a confederation system, most power is held with individual states and citizens will mostly only interact with their regional governments. In a Unitary system, citizens will interact with the central government as this kind of system keeps most power at the national level. The central government has authority over all political decisions. Citizens can vote in national elections for leaders within this system.
2. From my understanding, division of power is the way of spreading government responsibilities into groups so as to not leave control to one person or one group. One example of this is the different branches of government (legislative, judicial and executive) that take on different responsibilities. Each branch has limited power, so no one gets too powerful. In the simplest terms, one branch creates laws, one enforces them and the other makes sure they are fair.
3. If I remember correctly, during the pandemic the federal government supplied resources to NY to care for the overwhelming capacity in hospitals. As you can see in this link, the US Navy sent out hospital ships to help with non-Covid medical emergencies in order to free up space on shore based hospitals. https://www.msc.usff.navy.mil/Press-Room/Photo-Gallery/igphoto/2002496576/. The federal government also enacted a nationwide eviction ban to protect renters during the pandemic.

1. Differences in the Role of Citizens in Government Systems: 
In a federal system, power is divided between national and state governments, with citizens having roles at both levels. They elect representatives for both state and federal offices, influencing policies at multiple levels.  
In a confederation, the central government has limited power, with most authority resting in individual states. Citizens primarily engage with their state governments, which have more control over laws and policies.  
In a unitary system, power is centralized in the national government, and local governments operate under its authority. Citizens primarily influence government through national elections, as local governments have limited autonomy.  

2. Understanding the Division of Power: 
The division of power refers to how responsibilities and authority are distributed between different levels of government—federal, state, and local. In a federal system like the U.S., the Constitution outlines which powers belong to the national government (for example defense, foreign policy), state governments (education, public safety, etc.), and shared responsibilities (taxation, law enforcement, etc.). This structure helps balance power and prevent government overreach. 

3. Federal Influence on NY During COVID-19:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government influenced New York’s state and local policies through funding, mandates, and public health guidance. The federal government provided financial relief through the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan, helping businesses, schools, and healthcare systems. Federal agencies like the CDC and FDA set health guidelines on mask mandates, vaccinations, and social distancing, which NY adapted into state policies. Additionally, vaccine distribution was largely managed at the federal level, with New York implementing local strategies for administration. However, there were also tensions, such as debates over school closures and business restrictions, showcasing the complexity of federal-state interactions in crisis management.

 1.Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.

*By choosing representatives to act on their behalf at the federal and state levels, citizens actively participate in a federal system. The main way that citizens participate in a confederation system is at the state level; the federal government is comparatively weaker and has little power over individual citizens. However, because power is concentrated in the central government, which has considerable influence over decisions that affect the people, citizens have less direct involvement in the system as a whole.

    2.Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.

*The division of powers system describes how responsibilities of the government are distributed among several branches so that no one branch has excessive authority. Because each branch supervises and restrains the others, this division aids in preserving the balance of power. The division of social classes, in which no one class has complete control over the others and each class has differing degrees of wealth, power, and resources, could be compared to this

    3.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.
*Through financial assistance like grants and aid, the federal government has an impact on state and local policies. By offering financial assistance, bolstering healthcare systems, and guaranteeing vaccine distribution, the federal government significantly influenced the reactions of the state and local governments of New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to help states and local governments manage public health, put safety measures in place, and recover from the crisis, the federal government also passed laws and policies. These steps were crucial in assisting New York and other states in overcoming the obstacles posed by the pandemic

1. 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.  

Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems.

Citizens in a federal system participate in both national and local governments since power is divided between them. Since the central government in a confederation has little authority, citizens mostly interact with state or regional administrations. In a unitary system, local government function as extensions of the national government, and citizens primarily participate at the national level.

Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power.

The way authority is distributed across the several government levels-national, state, and local is referred to as the system of division of powers. A central government and regional government share authority is a federal system, and each has distinct duties. In a unitary system, local governments have little power while the central government holds the majority of the authority. In a confederation, the central government has little power while the regional government hold most of the 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.

Thought financing, directives, and executive orders, the federal government impacted municipal and state government in New York State during the Covid-19 epidemic. In addition to directing vaccine distribution, the federal government offered financial support through stimulus packages like the CARES act. New York also implemented its own precautions, including make mandates and lockdowns, while adhering to public health guidelines provided by CDC. while the state retained control over certain policies and choices, New York’s response to the crisis was influenced by federal funds and direction.

In a federal system like the US is suppose to be power is divided between national and state governments. Citizens vote for which representatives are elected at different levels like presidents and so forth. However, in a confederation system states hold most power and citizens interact with state governments without the weakness and influence. And within unitary system , the central government have close to all power but citizens are able to interact in a small portion of elections and polices.

Divided power ensures that responsibilities and authority are disturbed across differently levels of government for instance judicial and legislative branches. The US Federal handles governments is the national defense and foreign affairs while the manages education like the DOE which helps with public schooling, college and more as well as transportation. While the local government control things like policing and sanitation like maintaining clean streets or clean ups after weathering.

During Covid the federal government was the shoulder for the people especially in the NYS. The federal government helped to influence the way NYS listened to the information provided to them. To actually oblige to rules and regulations like social distancing and more. The federal government also helped with Federal relief packages including medical help like hospital coverage, unemployment for those who were not able to work, public health guidelines like cdc helping to make the country aware of what’s occurring and how to stay safe, emergency mandates and orders, and lastly deploying temporary resources like temporary hospitals and more.

This demonstrates further that the federal government allows different coordinations between different levels of government. Although the federal government give a lot of support and help citizens a lot it doesn’t overweigh the states and still allow state autonomy decision making.

1. While analyzing the different forms of government it became evident that the main distinguishing feature is the distribution of power. In a federal system, power is divided between national and state governments, allowing for citizens to be involved at both levels.Example being, citizens are able to elect officials to serve in Congress (national level) as well as state legislatures (state level).The division allowing for larger representation and involvement in both local and national government.In a confederation, power is mainly concentrated at the state level, causing citizens to primarily be engaged with state governments.The central government within a confederation typically only handles collective action among states, so citizens mostly interact with their state government for daily situations.And lastly when it comes to a unitary system the power is concentrated at the national level, meaning citizens role is mainly through the central government being that it holds he majority of authority.Though local governments exist, they gain their power from the central government.Citizen’s engage with the national government through ways like engaging in national level politics.When compared, citizens in a unitary system tend to have less direct influence at the local government level.
2. Within politics, division of power refers to the distribution of power/authority across different levels of government, such as national and state and local.This structure ultimately is what determines how responsibilities and decision making is divided up within a political system.Different countries adopt various systems that implement different forms of division of power.In a federal, power is divided between the national and state governments, each having their own set of responsibilities and authority.The United States is a country that adopts this system, the federal government often handles federal judges and justices approval, national defense etc, whereas the state governments manage law enforcement, local infrastructures etc.This division allowing for both levels to govern effectively while preventing the concentration of power.
3. The federal government’s influence on New York during the Covid 19 pandemic demonstrates how it can shape the actions of state and local governments, specifically through funding and public health directives.Using health guidelines from the CDC the federal government required state and local governments to adjust their policies accordingly.Mask mandates were implemented, vaccinations required to enter public buildings and business restrictions.Temporary halts to evictions were also implemented to prevent mass homelessness as a result of the increase of layoffs.This specific example of the pandemic highlighted how the federal government can both directly and indirectly shape state and local actions by setting national priorities.

1. At the federal level, citizens can vote in state and federal elections where the elected officials represent the people’s interests. Most commonly the republican and democratic parties. Being called upon to participate in the government lets it be to serve on a jury, testify in court, or petition your congress person to pass or defeat an idea for a law. In a confederation, citizens are able to maximize regional self-rule at the expense of effective national governance due to their power in voting. Authority is concentrated in the states. In a unitary system, citizens vote for subnational government representatives that are dependent on the national government where significant authority is concentrated. So citizens don’t have much of a say here.     

2. The system of division of power is the three branches of government that power is split into to prevent any branch from holding too much power. The Legislative branch is runned by the US Congress who creates and exercises the laws. The Executive branch is led by the president who enforces the laws. And the judicial branch interprets laws as per the US District courts, appellate courts, and at the highest level the Supreme Court. The three branches serve the purpose of ensuring that the two levels of government are the national government responsible for handling matters that affect the whole country. Subnational or state governments responsible for handling matters that lie within their regions. Each branch can limit and check each other’s power to stay equally balanced. There is a separation of functions between the federal and state governments in which voters get to choose the leader at each level. 

3. Federal and State governments must cooperate to form an interacting network. The federal government offers and has used grants to influence state actions to work towards selected national goals. These grants can be subjected to strict administrative criteria that guide project selection, performance, and financial oversight. They can also be less stringent federal administrative conditions and provide recipients more flexibility over how to spend grant funds. At the same time the national government can reverse and cap the escalating costs of federal grant programs. Compensation to the states and local governments can be given in which they are credited. The federal government can also enforce unfunded mandates that are federal laws and regulations that impose obligations on state and local governments without fully compensating them for the administrative costs they incur. These mandates can shape the actions of the state and local governments to fully comply as they can face the threat of civil and criminal penalties or even suspension of federal grant policies. This can be costly and with limited relief to states and local authorities. For example during covid 19, the US Government was threatening to the loss of $53 million pandemic relief funds for disadvantaged students in the NYC public schools. As a result the Mayor and US Department of education joined in a lawsuit to take this case into court. It evolved into a complicated relationship among both powers to get into agreement.