- In the federal system, the citizens vote at both national and state levels and are also subject to laws at both national and state levels. Citizens in the Confederation System primarily deal with state officials rather than national government. In a Unitary System, one central government holds most if not all the power. Citizens mainly interact with one central government, and have less influence over local decisions.
- The system of division of power means that the government is split into parts, preventing one branch from attaining more power.
Separation of powers: Government is split into 3 branches, legislative which creates laws, executive which enforces laws, and the judicial branch which judges laws
Federalism: The federal and state governments which share authority.
- The federal government had a significant impact on city and state governments largely through emergency authority, financing, and guidelines.
Funding: The federal government provided New York with funding with initiatives such as the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan to provide vaccines, testing, unemployment, hospitals, and small businesses. The state had to follow federal regulations on how to use the money, which impacted priorities.
Health Guidelines: Health guidelines on masks, vaccinations, and reopening procedures were released by federal organizations such as the CDC and FDA.
Emergency Declarations & Coordination: FEMA and other federal agencies were able to help provide New York with supplies, testing locations, medical services when the federal government declared a national emergency.