All powers retained by the states are known as reserved powers. Those specifically granted only to the Union government are known as enumerated powers. Finally, matters over which both the Union and the state governments have control are known as concurrent powers. The Tenth Amendment provides that the Union government has only the powers expressly designated to it by the Constitution, and the states control all other matters.
As has been mentioned, the states have control over all matters not controlled by the Union government. Some of these matters include:. From Wikibooks, open books for an open world. Category : Book:United States Government.
The level of decentralisation and the exact distribution of powers and responsibilities varies greatly between federations depending on their needs and circumstances. For example, in Nigeria, environmental protection is a state matter, but in Malaysia, it is run along federal lines. In some federal systems there are powers which do not belong exclusively to either level of government but are shared between them. In India, for example, both the Indian Parliament and the State Legislatures can pass laws on criminal justice and social and economic planning.
But, if there is incompatibility between them, the central level of legislation prevails. A second characteristic of federalism is that it provides processes and mechanisms by which the different states, provinces or regions of the federation can be included in decision-making at the central or union level.
Normally, this takes the form of an upper House of Parliament, or Senate, in which these states, provinces or regions are represented. In Australia and Argentina, for example, each state is represented in the Senate by an equal number of directly elected Senators; in India and Malaysia, some members of the upper house are chosen indirectly by the members of the State legislatures.
Power-sharing is also achieved through co-operation between different levels of government. In Canada, a Council made up of the heads of provincial governments meets to discuss issues of common interest and to coordinate service delivery. For example, although healthcare in Canada is primarily a provincial concern, the Council has enabled provincial ministers to work together to lower pharmaceutical prices across the entire country.
The third characteristic is that in federal systems the powers and responsibilities of the different levels of government are enshrined in a constitution which protects this federal agreement from being easily changed. In many federations, the states, regions or provinces have a veto over constitutional changes, so that neither level of government can unilaterally strip the other of its powers.
In India, any amendments to the constitution which affects the distribution of power between the union and the states must be approved by both the central parliament and the parliaments of the majority of Indian states. To protect the federal arrangement, the constitution needs to include an impartial judicial body — such as a supreme court or constitutional court — which enforces that agreement in a fair and balanced way.
At its heart federalism is a constitutional agreement that enables different communities of people, who live in different territories, to all live together in one country. This agreement recognises that the country is better off united, while, at the same time, protecting the autonomy and rights of its diverse people. Workshop participants discuss Covid considerations ahead of the elections in Timor-Leste.
Federalism has dual objectives of safeguarding and promoting unity of the country and recognizing regional diversity by way of mutual trust and agreement of living together. Every level is free in its own way to impose taxes and raise funds through remunerative enterprises. Independent Judiciary is the very essence of federalism where the courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of the different levels of government. Federalism provides constitutional guarantees for the existence and authority of each tier of government.
The jurisdiction of each tier is vividly specified in the Constitution. In specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration, in federalism each tier has its own jurisdiction.
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