What are the advantages and disadvantages of Federalism in your opinion? Use the terms and concepts

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ANSWER

Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism

Federalism

Advantages

A system of government embracing federalism has a better understanding of the local issues and demands. Unlike a centralized government that barely relates to its citizens, federalism creates a closer link between the serving government and the people’s interests (Baramendi & Leon, 2015).

Federalism also increases citizen participation, which is crucial to the performance and sustenance of the government. Sharing power with the state governments enables the needs of the people to address and, in turn, creates a closer association between the government and the people.

Federalism also minimizes any chances of tyranny occurring. Since the power of the government is divided among states and its three branches (judiciary, executive, and legislature), it makes it harder for a tyrannical system of government to prevail,

Disadvantages

The key disadvantage of federalism is that it creates a conflict of authority. Since power is shared between the central and the state governments, they tend to exert power towards one another (Baramendi & Leon, 2015). Such power struggles lead to conflicts that may hinder development and prosperity for the people.

Since federalism divides power between the central government and the smaller states, it can embrace regionalism over patriotism. The prosperity of a country relies on its citizens being proud and patriotic to their flag. With the smaller state being present, one region might compete against the other, creating a division among its citizens rather than promoting a unified country.

References

Beramendi, P., & León, S. (2015). Federalism. In Routledge handbook of comparative political institutions (pp. 223-239). Routledge.