Federazione

Federazione is a political and organizational concept referring to a federation—a union of partially self-governing territorial units under a central government, established by a constitution. In a federation, both the central authority and the constituent units retain sovereign powers in defined areas, with the central government handling national matters such as defense, foreign policy, and monetary policy, while regional governments manage local issues such as education, policing, and transportation. The precise division of powers varies among federations and can be amended through constitutional processes.

Federations are distinguished from confederations, where member states retain greater sovereignty and the central authority is usually weaker, and from unitary states, in which most governing power rests with a central government. Federal arrangements may be federal republics or federal monarchies, and some exhibit asymmetrical federalism, where powers or responsibilities differ between regions.

Common examples of federations include several large and diverse states that organize as federal systems, such as the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia, and India. While all of these are federations, their structures, powers, and levels of centralization differ according to national constitutions.

In Italian usage, federazione is also the term applied to national governing bodies of sports and other national organizations that coordinate activity across regions. These federations establish rules, organize competitions, and represent members in international bodies.

Etymology: federazione derives from Latin foedus and the concept of a covenant or compact, a form of union that can be found across many languages with similar terms.

See also: federation (political science), federalism, confederation, unitary state, devolution.