Question

In the 21st century the relationships amongst the various levels of government in what is known as Federalism, has changed radically since the founding of the republic. What is Federalism and why is our government founded on such a principle, and what are the implications of such a principle for public administrators responsible for the efficient and effective delivery of public and quasi-public goods and services in a dynamic political economy?

Answer 1

What is federalism?

Federalism is a concept of mixed governance. There can be two or more governments trying to run a country or a region. There is usually a central government, and then different states or regional governments. Combined; they are responsible for developing policies and implementing them

Why is the government founded on principle on federalism?

There are certain benefits of this system-

1. Unity in decision making- there is not one authoritative force, hence a decision involves several different parties, which helps getting a fair call most of the times

2. Democracy survives- Federalism is key to help democracy sustain, in case of o federalism, having an autocracy would be a lot easier, and dangerous for a country

3. Innovative policies- different minded brains working on a project help generate better ideas, only single type of brain involved can usually over-look a lot of things

4. Political Stability – there should always be an opposition against a ruling party, for a country to survive, no opposition would mean dictatorship conditions

There are certain disadvantages to this form of governance too, but the advantages usually over-power them, hence most countries have federal system

Implications of federal systems?

1. Public administrators have a pressure to develop better policies for public, as there is also a competitor government looking to do the same thing for the public. This competitive environment keeps public administrators on their toes

2. Just like any competitive market, this competitive market keeps public administrators binding by laws, hence keeping their powers in check

3. People have option to choose a substitute on ineffective delivery of promised things

4. Public administrators are answerable to the public for their actions according to the law, this pressure keeps them from doing bad work

If you have any doubts, or questions regarding the answer, or want some more points or clarification, please post in the comments. Thank You