Advantages and Disadvantages of Federal Government - Coursework Example

Number] Advantages and Disadvantages of Federal Government Federal government is a political system that is based upon the principle of dividing the power and authorities between the central government and various regional governments. The power of the central and regional governments is decided through the written constitution that is supposed to explicitly define the power sharing arrangements between states and its units. There are some areas like provision of public health, domestic trade matters and licensing issues etc where the provincial or regional governments could take the decisions independently without waiting for the endorsement of the central government however, several other matters are decided by the states and the regional governments have to follow the same rules and regulations1. Federal governance system has evolved as one of the common and popular form of government across the world. At present, there are several countries of different region of the world that are following the federal government structure including USA, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, Mexico and Pakistan2. For many other countries like Sri Lanka and Philippines where federalism is not in practice, the advantages and disadvantages of federal government is an important area of concern because any potential changes in the national governing set of these countries heavily depends upon the fact that how these countries views the pros and cons of federalism3. Some important advantages and disadvantages of federal government are discussed below Advantages of Federal Government It has been widely accepted that the federal governance system has several important advantages as compared with other system of governance like unitary and confederate government. Some of these are described below Problem solution at provincial level In the federal governance system all the provinces use to have the political, social and economic problems peculiar to their own region. The provincial governments are thus enabled to specifically concentrate towards the resolution of the issues and problems evolved within their area of authority. The representatives of the provincial government also line is close proximity to the people of their province and most of the times the representatives also belong to the same communities that constitute that province. In this way, they tend to have better and in depth understanding of the matters and problems of the people of their province that allows them offering unique and targeted solutions for the problems of their province4. The provincial governments usually encounter several matters at local basis like traffic management. There is always a possibility that the other provinces might not face the same problem due to different geographic and demographic setting. In this situation, the provincial governments have the authority that they could take the steps for the resolution of the problem faced by their province keeping in mind different factors that could not be well understood by the people or authorized representatives living in other provinces of the same country. In this way federalism allows focusing upon the problem while remaining more focused and attentive towards the surrounding issues and environment. Representation of various communities In the federal government the representation of different population in the ruling elite becomes possible. In a province usually there live people of different communities, ethnicities and aspiration that follow different cultures. At state level it would not be possible to adequately represent many communities however at provincial level each province could form the governing body consisting of the people of different communities living in that province5. The deferral government could overlook the cultural and ethnic differences of the people because it has to develop the policies to cater the majority and thus these people gain the attention of the regional or provincial government. The policy making process of the provincial government is also conducted keeping in view the culture and requirements of the people of different communities living in the province and the state government might not be able address their concerns in adequate manner. Policy Making Freedom The federal governing system gives freedom of policy making to the state as well as provinces. The state government has the freedom that it could formulate the policies that might not be followed by the provinces. For example in USA, the state disallows the marriages of same sex people whereas at provincial level there is no restriction of same sex marriage in Iowa, Vermont and Massachusetts6. In this way, it also becomes possible for the government to respond towards the requirements of the international community and their own people at the same time. The federal policies work to expose the government intentions regarding certain matters in front of the world whereas at provincial level there are different policies that address the concern of the local people without giving much attention to the international pressure7. Work division and Management In the federal system there is division of work between the central and provincial government according to their own resources and capabilities. This division of work allows the optimum utilization of the resources. The central government gets the time to focus upon the international affairs, relations with other countries and other issues related with the defence and security of the country whereas the provincial governments don’t have to allocate time for these issues and they could utilize their time and resources to solve the issues and problems of the people of their own provinces. In this way, the federal system allows better organization, division and management of work between the central and provincial governments that ultimately benefits the entire country8. Maximum working opportunities and competition The federal system encourages the process of innovation, creativity and experimentation at provincial level. The provinces have bestowed the power and authorities that they could take necessary steps to foster the innovation work in different sectors and without looking for the approval of the central government they could initiate programs of skill developments where the people could be trained to take part in the production process by brining unique and creative ideas9. The provincial governments have not to depend upon the state policies to follow the same path of skill development and training of the people but they could develop and start the programs at their own level as well and this possibility gives them maximum opportunity and freedom of work. The system also provokes competition between the provinces and encourages them to perform better in order to remain competitive with other provinces10. Disadvantages of Federal Government Despite the fact that there are several important benefits of the federal government it is also important to consider that there are various disadvantages of the federal system of government. Some of these are described below Overlapping of power The power sharing structure of the federal system has been regarded as its plus point but it is also a fact that the overlapping of their powers could harm the system. There could be overlapping of work and at the same time there could be confusion regarding certain works that who is actually responsible for performing certain job. This confusion could delay the work and the people are victimizes due to the confusion or conflict between the provincial and central government regarding the allocation of work. The disaster management is an important working area where the provinces look to the central government to come and help the people whereas the state also requires the provincial governments to work at their own11. Expensive and Complicated System The federal system is found to be an expensive system because it proposes the constitution of several governments within one country that requires the employment of more people at work both at state and provincial level. There is requirement of more funds, accommodation, staff, office supplies and equipments for setting up assemblies, separate offices, meeting rooms and other facilities for the members of state and provincial government. Therefore, it is often said that the federal government is more suitable for the rich countries that could afford the expenses at both state and provincial levels12. Moreover, the federal government is also a complicated system because decisions are taken at different centers. The policy making is also done at different levels because the state government focuses upon the federal policy and regional governments work on their own matters. In order to assure adequate management of government matters it is imperative that the various tiers of the government cooperate with each other and show confidence and consideration for each other. These interweaved responsibilities of central and provincial government is a complex matter that often creates difficulties for the citizens to understand certain matters13. Unnecessary competition The federal government encourages the provinces to perform better as compared with each other however it is also observed that sometimes it leads to unnecessary competition between them. The provinces might misuse their resources or develop fake plan to create false impression about their efficiency and productivity whereas they could also demand more funds from the central government to meet their expenses. The other provinces raise the voice against the allocation of more funds to any of the province and in this way there could be conflicts between the states that ultimately could affect the integrity of entire nation and country14. Regional Inequalities It is also observed that the federal system promotes the regional inequalities because the natural resources, industries and employment opportunities vary from state to state and the performance of each province depends upon the availability and quality of its resources. The federal system expects every province to solve their problems at their own without keeping in consideration that some provinces might not be able to manage their certain regional matters due to the unavailability or malfunctioning of their resources15. Similarly, the provinces blesses with more resources could become able to offer more opportunities and better living standards to its citizens as compared with other provinces. In this way, social inequality between the people of different provinces is generated and the gap between the poor and rich is also widened16. Duplication of services The federal system proposes separate organizational structure for the central and regional governments. There are certain actions taken by both the central and provincial governments and in these cases there is possibility of duplication of power. The same functions would be performed by the central government at state level whereas the provincial governments would also be handling the same issue using their own resources. There is not only wastage of time and resources but the situation could become worst when attempts are made to solve the problem within different approaches17. Lack of Uniformity The provincial governments manage their matters using their own approach and it is often observed that the management style of the regional government varies. Hence there is diversity in the management style that leads towards lack of uniformity across the country. This diversity could also create problem for the citizens when they will move across the country from one province to another. There would be different culture and different working style. Moreover, the children will also have difficulties in continuing their education in other province due to the difference in the education system18. Hence, it unveiled that there are several important advantages and disadvantages of the federal government. In some ways it is better than other governing system because it allows more democracy, maximum working opportunities and better opportunities of work but at the same time it also cause several problems to the country as it has been found that federalism is a complicated and expenses system that promotes regional inequality, work management diversity and creates confusion regarding the allocation of work. Work Cited Beer SH. 1993. 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