Which concept describes the national government sharing power with local governments?
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Powers not granted to the Federal government are reserved for States and the people, which are divided between State and local governments. Show
Most Americans have more frequent contact with their State and local governments than with the Federal Government. Police departments, libraries, and schools—not to mention driver’s licenses and parking tickets—usually fall under the oversight of State and local governments. Each state has its own written constitution, and these documents are often far more elaborate than their Federal counterpart. The Alabama Constitution, for example, contains 310,296 words—more than 40 times as many as the U.S. Constitution. All State governments are modeled after the Federal Government and consist of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The U.S. Constitution mandates that all States uphold a “republican form” of government, although the three-branch structure is not required. Executive BranchIn every state, the Executive Branch is headed by a governor who is directly elected by the people. In most states, other leaders in the executive branch are also directly elected, including the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and auditors and commissioners. States reserve the right to organize in any way, so they often vary greatly with regard to executive structure. Legislative BranchAll 50 States have legislatures made up of elected representatives, who consider matters brought forth by the governor or introduced by its members to create legislation that becomes law. The legislature also approves a State’s budget and initiates tax legislation and articles of impeachment. The latter is part of a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government that mirrors the Federal system and prevents any branch from abusing its power. Except for one State, Nebraska, all States have a bicameral legislature made up of two chambers: a smaller upper house and a larger lower house. Together the two chambers make State laws and fulfill other governing responsibilities. (Nebraska is the lone state that has just one chamber in its legislature.) The smaller upper chamber is always called the Senate, and its members generally serve longer terms, usually four years. The larger lower chamber is most often called the House of Representatives, but some states call it the Assembly or the House of Delegates. Its members usually serve shorter terms, often two years. Judicial BranchState judicial branches are usually led by the State supreme court, which hears appeals from lower-level State courts. Court structures and judicial appointments/elections are determined either by legislation or the State constitution. The supreme court focuses on correcting errors made in lower courts and therefore holds no trials. Rulings made in State supreme courts are normally binding; however, when questions are raised regarding consistency with the U.S. Constitution, matters may be appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court. Local governments generally include two tiers: counties, also known as boroughs in Alaska and parishes in Louisiana, and municipalities, or cities/towns. In some States, counties are divided into townships. Municipalities can be structured in many ways, as defined by State constitutions, and are called, variously, townships, villages, boroughs, cities, or towns. Various kinds of districts also provide functions in local government outside county or municipal boundaries, such as school districts or fire protection districts. Municipal governments—those defined as cities, towns, boroughs (except in Alaska), villages, and townships—are generally organized around a population center and in most cases correspond to the geographical designations used by the United States Census Bureau for reporting of housing and population statistics. Municipalities vary greatly in size, from the millions of residents of New York City and Los Angeles to the few hundred people who live in Jenkins, Minnesota. Municipalities generally take responsibility for parks and recreation services, police and fire departments, housing services, emergency medical services, municipal courts, transportation services (including public transportation), and public works (streets, sewers, snow removal, signage, and so forth). Whereas the Federal Government and State governments share power in countless ways, a local government must be granted power by the State. In general, mayors, city councils, and other governing bodies are directly elected by the people. The United States encompasses many governments—over 83,000 separate units. These include municipal, county, regional, state, and federal governments as well as school districts and special districts like water and land conservation. Federalism is a system in which two or more governments share power over the same constituents. Ultimate political authority, or sovereignty, is shared between the governments. The national government is supreme and holds powers on certain issues, and the state governments have the same sovereignty over different issues. The workings of the federal system and how national, state, and local governments relate is described as intergovernmental relations. The concept of federalism was created when the Framers began to develop the Constitution of the United States. This form of government was derived as a compromise of power between the states and the federal government. The goal of federalism is to preserve personal liberty by separating the powers of the government so that one government or group may not dominate all powers. The Framers believed that divided power was limited power and applied this theory as they created the Constitution. This form of government is unique because instead of the national government receiving its powers from the states, or the states receiving powers from the national government, both governments derive their powers directly from the people, or constituents. It is a system of government for the people, by the people. The Anti-Federalists were those opposed to ratifying the Constitution. They questioned the proposed power of the strong national government and pointed out the dangers of tyranny and threats to the rights and liberties that they had recently won from England. They also questioned the motives of the Founders, claiming the Constitution was class-based, ensuring the elite class held the powers of the nation. Charles Beard, in An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913), maintains that the Constitution was designed to protect the propertied classes and that economic gain was the founding fathers' prime motivator. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the "The Federalist Papers" as political theory in defense of the Constitution and federalism. These documents allow us a glimpse into how the Framers felt the system would operate. In Federalist #16, Alexander Hamilton argues that the
national government is necessary to keep the states in harmony. He maintains that the national government should be at least equal in power to the states. In Federalist #17, Hamilton argues that the states will always have the allegiance of the people; that people will be loyal to the body of government closest in proximity to them. Since criminal and civil justice will be the tool of the states, the people will remain obedient to the states. James Madison contends in
Federalist #39 that the Constitution is an unbiased document, as it calls for a balance of power between the state and national governments. He goes on to argue that the states are the creators of the federal government, and that because the ratification process is achieved through the states, the states are given the ability to stand independent of the federal body. Madison believed that because the federal system is a republic, and the Constitution enumerates powers to each layer of
government, the new system would be superior to any other form of government. Dual federalism describes a certain form of federalism where the national government and state governments have distinct realms of authority that do not overlap and into which the other should not intrude. Some equality of the governments is implied, with the federal government acting as the means to link the states. Dual federalism is often described as "layer cake federalism," which indicates distinct layers of government, each with their own sphere of influence. The icing on the cake (the federal government) binds the layers (the states) but also separates them. A key feature of federalism is decentralized politics. For example, elections are conducted at the state level—even national elections such as the presidential election—allowing governing power to rest in the hands of more people. Therefore, more points of access to the government exist for its constituents. Federalism
also strengthens judicial power. Because power is shared between the state and national governments, inevitably there are disputes between the two that must be arbitrated by the judicial system. Policy decisions are decentralized in a federalist government. Policies dealing with education, labor laws, and highways are just a few examples of issues that are discussed at both the national and the state level. Public policies concerning the environment, equality, and the economy all require the centralizing power of the national government and the dispersing power of the states. While policy decisions happen at all levels, states tend to direct policies dealing with social, moral, and family topics. Most often, the states are the inventors of new policies, which stem from the needs and desires of their local constituencies. Alternatives to federalism include unitary governments and confederations. A unitary government occurs when one centralized body is the sole governing unit. Unitary governments are often found in small, compact nations with homogeneous populations and few factional elements. Japan, France, and Great Britain, prior to an independent parliament and home rule for Scotland, are examples of unitary governments. Confederations, such as the pre-Constitutional United States, are loose central governments that are dominated by the stronger state governments. Under the Articles of Confederation, the states were bound to the national government through a "friendly alliance." Confederations are rare in the world today. Switzerland calls itself a confederation, but it operates much like a federal system. Recently, growing cooperation between countries in the current European community has resulted in a confederation called the European Union. After the break up of the Soviet Union, Russian states discussed forming a confederation, but the plan did not survive due to the unrest that followed. Another example of a confederation was the Confederate States of America, which was formed by some southern states during the Civil War. Copyright 2006 The Regents of the University of California and Monterey Institute for Technology and Education Which concept describes the national government sharing power with local governments quizlet?Federalism describes the system of shared governance between national and state governments. The states and the federal government have both exclusive and concurrent powers, which help to explain the negotiation over the balance of power between them.
What is sharing of power between a national government and local governments?Federalism is the system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments; in the United States, both the national government and the state governments possess a large measure of sovereignty.
Which concept best describes the return of power from the national government to state and local governments?devolution, the transfer of power from a central government to subnational (e.g., state, regional, or local) authorities.
What are the shared powers of the state and national government?Finally, certain powers are called concurrent powers, which the states and the federal government both may exercise. These can include, for example, setting up courts, levying taxes, and spending and borrowing money. Typically, these are powers necessary for maintenance of public facilities.
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