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Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism

Twenty four of the world's one hundred ninety three countries
have a federal political set up. Looking at these countries'
political history, it can be said there are both advantages and
disadvantages of federalism. Read the following article for an in
depth analysis of a federation

Federalism is a political system in which the powers are divided between

the central government and numerous regional governments. There is a
written constitution which formulates this power sharing arrangement
between the state and its units. These units referred to as the provincial or
regional governments have the power to act independently in certain
areas of governance. For example in the USA, the local governments have
exclusive powers to issue licenses, provide for public health, conduct
.elections and form local governments, look after the intrastate trade, etc

Federalism in Today's World

At present, Federalism is being followed not only in first world countries
like USA, Australia and Canada but also in developing countries like
Mexico, India and Brazil. Contemplating a change in the governing set up
of the nation, some countries like Sri Lanka and Philippines are intently
.scrutinizing the advantages and disadvantages of Federalism

Advantages of Federalism
Every province has political, social and economic problems peculiar to the
region itself. Provincial government representatives live in close proximity
to the people and are most of the times from the same community, so that
they are in a better position to understand these problems and offer
unique solutions for them. For example, traffic congestion in Oahu, Hawaii
is a problem that can be best solved by the local government, keeping
local factors in mind, rather than by somebody living in New York.
Federalism offers representation to different populations. Citizens of
various provinces may have different aspirations, ethnicity and follow
different cultures. The central government can sometimes overlook these
differences and adopt policies which cater to the majority. This is where
the regional government steps in. While formulating policies, local needs,
tastes and opinions are given due consideration by the state governments.
Rights of the minorities are protected too. For example, in states like
Arizona where there is a large Hispanic population and therefore, a large
number of schools provide bilingual education. State governments have
the freedom to adopt policies which may not be followed nationally or by
any other state. For example, same sex marriages are not recognized by
the federal government of USA but they are given legal status within the
states of Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Massachusetts. Division of work
between the central and the regional governments leads to optimum
utilization of resources. The central government can concentrate more on
international affairs and defense of the country while the provincial
government can cater to the local needs. Federalism has room for
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innovation and experimentation. Two local governments can have two

different approaches to bring reforms in any area of public domain, be it
taxation or education. The comparison of the results of these policies can
give a clear idea of which policy is better and thus, can be adopted in the
future. Federalism no doubt has many positives vis a vis Communism or
Imperialism but still some political scientists often raise questions about
.advantages of Federalism
Disadvantages of Federalism
Sharing of power between the Center and the states includes both
advantages and disadvantages of federation. Sometimes there can be
overlapping of work and subsequent confusion regarding who is
responsible for what. For example, when typhoon Katrina hit Greater New
Orleans, USA, in 2005, there was delay in the rescue work as there was
confusion between the state governments and the federal government on
who is responsible for which disaster management work. This resulted in
the loss of many lives. Federal system of government is very expensive as
more people are elected to office, both at the state and the center, than
necessary. Thus, it is often said that only rich countries can afford it. Too
many elected representatives with overlapping roles may also lead to
corruption. Federalism leads to unnecessary competition between
different regions. There can be a rebellion by a regional government
against the national government too. Both scenarios pose a threat to the
countries' integrity. Federalism promotes regional inequalities. Natural
resources, industries, employment opportunities differ from region to
region. Hence earnings and wealth are unevenly distributed. Rich states
offer more opportunities and benefits to its citizens than poor states can.
Thus, the gap between rich and poor states widens. Federalism can make
the state governments selfish and concerned only about their own region's
progress. They can formulate policies which might be detrimental to other
regions. For example, pollution from a province which is promoting
industrialization in a big way can affect another region which depends
solely on agriculture and cause crop damage.Federalism does not
eliminate poverty. Even in New York, there are poor neighborhoods like
Harlem with a majority of black population. The reason for this may be
that during policy framing, it is the intellectuals and not the masses who
are invited by the local government. These intellectuals may not
understand the local needs properly and thus, policies might not yield
.good results
Thus, it is understandable that there have been both advantages and
disadvantages of Federalism in USA. There is a general feeling that the
rights of the minorities, like blacks, are compromised in USA. But at the
same time, USA now has a democratically elected African American
President. Similarly, there have been advantages and disadvantages of
federalism in other countries as well. For federalism to be truly successful
it should be accompanied by other ideals like Secularism, Democracy and
.Liberalism
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Communism Vs Capitalism
This article is my take on the communism vs capitalism debate. It
will talk about the major points of difference between communism
and capitalism

Communism vs capitalism debate is a battle between two extreme

socioeconomic theories. They are theories that represent two inherently
opposite ways of thinking. One is extremely individualistic (Capitalism),
while the other one (Communism) believes in putting the society before
self. The communism vs capitalism clash polarized the world during the
cold war. This article explores all dimensions of communism vs capitalism
debate and explores the two ideologies while comparing their points of
.difference

Communism vs Capitalism Comparison

Here is a straight comparison between communism and capitalism, which

.discusses the pros and cons of both the ideologies

Communism vs Capitalism: Ownership of Means of Production

The primary point of difference between capitalism and communism is

regarding the ownership of 'means of production' or resources in general.
Communism shuns private/individual ownership of land or any vital
resources. Instead, all the 'means of production' like land and other
resources should be owned by the state. By state here, I mean the whole
community of people. All land and resources which enable the production
of goods and services will be owned by one and all. Everything will be
shared! All decisions about production will be made by the whole
community by democratic means. There will be equal wages for all. All the
.decisions taken will be according to what is good for all
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On the other hand, capitalism believes in private ownership of land and

means of production. Every man will have to earn his worth. The major
share of the profits earned from a business will go to the person who owns
the means of production, while the workers who are responsible for
running the business will get a small share. Every man will get his wages
according to his merit and according to the thinking of the man who owns
the means of production. Naturally the people who own the means of
production, the capitalists, call the shots when it comes to decision
!making

This is the major bone of contention between the two ideologies,

ownership of means of production! Both are extreme ideas. While
communism can kill the idea of individual enterprise, which has led to
most of the technological innovations we see today, capitalism has the
seeds of exploitation, where too much wealth and therefore power, is
.concentrated in the hands of a few people

Communism vs Capitalism: Individual Freedom

As I said before, communism and capitalism are two extreme points of

view, which have contrasting views about individual freedom. Communism
asks one to put the society before the individual, while capitalism puts
.individual freedom, before society

So, the polarity between two ideologies is 'Individualism vs Social welfare'.

Capitalism gives more importance to individual aspirations and appeals to
the inherent selfish nature, which is inherent in all human beings. This
.inherent selfishness, is a result of the instinct of self preservation

Communism appeals to our more saintly side, wherein we think about

others before ourselves. It is a noble thought, which goes against the
inherent selfish nature of people, though it is appealing to their generous
.natures

Both again are two extreme points of view, which have their advantages
and disadvantages. Some of the greatest advances in human history have
happened due to individual creativity and enterprise, which were self
serving, though they ultimately benefited the society. Communism can kill
that individual creative streak, by making a person do what he is told. In
.short, it has the danger of killing creativity and original thinking
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Capitalism, on the other hand, feeding selfish desires can create capitalist
autocrats who can have control of life and death over thousands of people,
.'leading to exploitation. Read more on, 'Pros and Cons of capitalism

Communism vs Capitalism: Society

Communism advocates a classless, egalitarian society, where all men and

women are placed on the same footing. There will be no differences of
class, race, religion or even nationality! This way, there will be nothing to
fight for. This is nice as an idea, but trying to implement this idea is tough
and asking people to give up all the things that make them different, is
.unfair! Every person is special and different in his own way

Capitalism promotes class distinction. In fact creates the major class

distinction of haves and have-nots, the rich and the poor. The rich get
richer and the poor get poorer under pure capitalism. The rich class
controls the means of production and wields power, thereby imposing their
.own class distinction and whims on the society

Communism vs Capitalism: Anatomy of Power

Communism appeals to the higher ideal of altruism, while capitalism

promotes selfishness. Let us consider what will happen to power
distribution in both these ideologies! Capitalism naturally concentrates
wealth and therefore, power in the hands of the people who own the
means of production. So, it creates the rich elite who control wealth,
.resources and power. So, naturally they decide the distribution of power

In communism, ideally, if all of mankind was of saintly nature, altruistic

and selfless, the distribution of power would be equal. All decisions would
be made by democratic means and there would be no unjust rules
!favoring a few

However, that is not the case here, people are inherently selfish and the
nature of power is such that it corrupts minds and absolute power corrupts
absolutely. We have the example of how communism can concentrate
absolute power over a whole nation, in the hands of a single man, in
Stalinist Russia! So, both the ideologies can fail and create an unjust
!society

Ultimately what we need, is a balanced approach, which is a combination

of good points in both the ideologies. A mixed economy where the state
has control over all the vital resources of a nation, provides welfare for the
needy, while also promoting free entrepreneurship! Communism being an
:extreme form of socialism, you can read more on