Federativa

Federativa is a term used in political science to denote a federative system or federative state in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central government and constituent political units, such as states or provinces. It emphasizes shared rule and regional autonomy within a unified constitutional framework.

The term arises in Romance languages as an adjective form of federal. In scholarly usage, Federativa can refer to arrangements, protocols, or institutions that operate within a federation model, as well as to the linguistic or cultural context of federal governance.

Core features commonly associated with federative systems include a written constitution, explicit division of powers by domain (e.g., defense, commerce, education), a representative second chamber reflecting subnational units, independent judiciary with constitutional review, and mechanisms for intergovernmental negotiation and dispute resolution. Fiscal federalism and revenue-sharing are typical components.

Federative systems are distinct from unitary states, where power is centralized, and from confederations, where central authority is weaker. In federations, subnational governments typically retain a degree of sovereignty and constitutional protection of their powers.

Real-world examples of federative arrangements include several well-known states such as the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and India, though the exact distribution of powers varies by country. The term Federativa can also appear in discussions of constitutional design, regional autonomy, or in fictional or regional contexts.