Federative

Federative describes something related to a federation or the practice of governing a territory through a federation. In political science, a federation is a union of partially self-governing states or regions that share control of a central government. The federative model distributes constitutional authority between the national level and constituent units, with both levels deriving authority from the people and operating under a higher constitutional framework.

Key features commonly associated with federative systems include a division of powers, a written or entrenched constitution, and mechanisms to resolve disputes between levels of government. Constituent units typically retain sovereignty in defined areas such as education, health, and local governance, while the central government handles national defense, foreign policy, currency, and interstate commerce. Many federations also provide for representation of subnational units in the central legislature, for example through a senate or equivalent chamber, to balance regional interests.

Federative arrangements are distinct from confederations, in which member states retain sovereignty and the central authority has limited powers, and from unitary states, where central government holds primary authority with subordinate implementations. Examples of federations include the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Australia, and the Federative Republic of Brazil, whose official name signals its federative character.

Origins of federalism emerged in the modern era as a solution to integrate diverse regions while preserving local autonomy. Federative systems continue to adapt to political, demographic, and economic changes, balancing national unity with regional self-government.