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Dual Federalism

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1. What is federalism?
Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central government and several regional governments. An example of federalism in the United States is the division between the national government and the states.

2. How are these systems of government different: unitary, federation, and confederation? Unitary government is a system of government in which a single government holds the power to govern the nation. Authority is centralized with state and local governments administering authority delegated from central government. The United States had a unitary government when the British government imposed a central, unitary authority to tax and administer the subordinate colonies. Examples: United …show more content…

What are the three conditions required of a federal system?
The three conditions required of a federal system are, the same people and territory are included in both levels of government, the nation’s constitution protects units at each level of government from encroachment by the other units, and each unit is in a position to exert some leverage over the others.

4. What is the difference between dual and shared federalism?
Dual federalism is a system of government in which the federal government and state governments each have mutually exclusive spheres of action. Dual federalism is perhaps the simplest possible arrangement, leaving the states and the national government to preside over mutually exclusive “spheres of sovereignty.”
Shared federalism is a system in which the national and state governments share in providing citizens with a set of goods. Shared federalism recognizes that the national and state governments jointly supply services to the citizenry. While each level of government has exclusive authority over some policy realms, state and federal powers intersect over many of the most important functions. They have the shared authority to tax, borrow money, charter banks and corporations, take property, enforce laws and administer a …show more content…

There is a block grant which is a broad grant of money given by the federal government to a state government. The grant specifies the general area in which the funds may be spent but leaves it to the state to determine the specific allocations. There is also a matching grant which is a grant of money given by the federal government to a state government for which the federal government provides matching funds, usually between one and two dollars, for every dollar the state spends in some area. The major difference between a block grant and a matching grant is in a block grant the federal government usually states spending levels, while in the matching grant allows for major program expansion but creates a “moral hazard” in which people behave differently and often take more risks when they do not have to pay all the costs of their

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