The main difference in how citizens are involved in federal, confederation, and unitary systems is based on how power is shared. In a federal system like the United States, people vote for leaders at both the national level and the state level. They have more ways to be involved because power is divided between different layers of government. In a confederation, the national government is very weak and the states hold most of the power. This means citizens mainly deal with their state or local governments, not a strong national one. In a unitary system, the central government has almost all the power. Local governments only exist to carry out what the central government wants, and citizens usually only vote or participate at the national level.

The division of power means that authority is spread out so no one part of government controls everything. In the U.S., this happens in two ways. First, power is divided between the federal and state governments. Second, the government is split into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Each branch and each level has its own role, which helps keep the government balanced and fair.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government influenced New York in many ways. They gave financial help through programs like the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan. This money helped the state with things like testing, vaccine distribution, and support for hospitals and schools. The federal government also gave public health guidelines through agencies like the CDC. These rules were not forced, but New York chose to follow many of them when making state-level decisions like lockdowns and mask mandates. Without the federal government’s funding and guidance, New York would not have had the resources to respond as strongly as it did. At the same time, the state still had control over how to handle things based on what was happening locally. This shows how the federal system allows for both support from above and decision-making at the local level.