Federatiivisuus

Federatiivisuus refers to a political-constitutional arrangement in which sovereign authority is divided between a central government and constituent political units, such as states or regions. In a federative system, both levels typically have constitutionally guaranteed powers, and neither can unilaterally abolish the other’s competences. The division of powers is usually set out in a written constitution, with core national powers assigned to the center and residual or regional powers left to subnational governments.

Subnational units enjoy substantial autonomy in many policy areas, including education, healthcare, and local infrastructure, while the central government handles national defense, foreign policy, and monetary policy. The exact balance varies by country, and some federations may be asymmetric, giving different levels of autonomy to different regions. Fiscal arrangements, such as revenue sharing and equalization payments, are often important elements of federative systems.

Common examples cited as federations include the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia, India, and Switzerland. Federative models can take the form of federal republics or federal monarchies, and they differ in the strength and design of intergovernmental institutions and constitutional courts that interpret the powers of each level.

Advantages of federative systems include protection of regional diversity, policy experimentation, and built-in mechanisms for checks and balances. Challenges can include intergovernmental disputes, complexity, and potential coordination problems or inequalities between regions. The concept can also apply to federative arrangements within organizations or in regional autonomies within larger states that do not claim full sovereignty.