Analysis of Federalism (Essay Sample)

Federalism
Name
Institution
Course Name & Number
Institution
Due Date
Federalism
Introduction
The Federal system of government divides governmental power among national, state, and local governments. Federal governments use the constitution to identify public service areas that state and national governments would gain control over. Although there are many federal systems globally, these countries differ due to different definitions and opinions on federalism and centralization of power. The United States divides its powers in national and state governments into concurrent and exclusive capabilities. Concurrent powers are shared by both federal and state governments, while exclusive powers are reserved to either federal or state governments. Federal governments are suitable for vast countries with diverse groups of people with different needs but share a common culture.
Structure
The structure of a federal government is slightly different in all countries that utilize federalism. According to Krutz and Waskiewicz (2019), the American federal government strives to create a balance between decentralization and centralization forces. Decentralized forces in the federalism structure in America include different voting regulations and taxation levels in different states. On the other hand, centralization ensures that only the Federal government oversees the printing and distribution of money to other states (Krutz & Waskiewicz, 2019). Additionally, federal governments embrace the vertical and horizontal division of power. Vertical power distribution moves from national to state to local governments. Such vertical distribution creates room for multiple access channels to authorities for citizens. The U.S. federal system's leadership powers are further separated horizontally through the legislative, judiciary, and executive. Federal structures allow for national and state governments to balance each other and check each other's mistakes. Further, federalism places ultimate power in the hands of the people, thus encourages democracy and progress.
Functions
The federal government in federal systems has numerous significant functions. First, the federal government formulates and directs all foreign policies (Idea, 2019). Thus, state governments must respect all federal laws regarding foreign policies. However, state governments have the right to counter decisions made by federal leaders regarding foreign policies that pose to be detrimental to a state's progress (Idea, 2019). Second, the federal government has an exclusive responsibility to regulate commerce and external trade to ensure constant economic growth. Thirdly, federal governments must create and distribute currencies to all member states and formulate policies that govern taxation. Since different states have taxing freedoms, the federal government must develop regulations to prevent state leaders from exploiting their constituents (Adkins, 2020).
Furthermore, the federal government is responsible for declaring war against any international enemies and making peace with other nations. It also formulates a federal armed force for national protection. Finally, the federal government creates laws listed in the constitution and establishes federal courts.
On the other hand, state governments have exclusive powers to ratify any detrimental constitutional amendments. Such an exclusive power is under the Tenth Amendment's support, which states that the powers that are not delegated to the U.S. and are not federally prohibited to the states are legally state powers. Additionally, state governments can condu