Federalism is a form of government in which all subjects of the federation have a sufficient degree of autonomy, but cannot unilaterally disconnect.
Federalism is more democratic than unitarianism. Its democratic nature lies in the fact that federalism presupposes the decentralization of power, which guarantees freedom from dictatorship. At the core of federalism is the issue of relationships. When different groups of people, speaking different languages, professing different religious beliefs and cultural norms agree to live within the constitutional framework, they expect to have a certain amount of local autonomy, as well as equal social and economic opportunities. The federal system of government divides power between local, regional and national levels. Officials at various levels implement policies tailored to regional and local needs, while working with the national government to address common problems facing the country. Such a system of power sharing empowers prompt decision-making and the results are felt almost immediately in local communities and at higher levels of government. Federalism encourages citizenship and allows citizens to participate in government. Citizens are eligible to apply for positions in local and regional governments. The federal system has a constitution that gives powers and defines the scope of division of responsibility at each level of government. Local governments work to meet local needs, address issues related to firefighters, police, local government, school administration, and so on. The national government decides questions of defense, international agreements, and the federal budget. The most essential and defining principles of federalism: - the principle of the sovereignty of the federation; - the principle of the unity of state power; - the principle of voluntary association of subjects; - the principle of equality of subjects; - the principle of delineation of powers between the subjects and the federation; - the principle of the unity of economic and legal space; - the principle of equality of peoples. The following models of federalism are distinguished: By the way of education - union and decentralized models. Allies are formed between several states as a result of a treaty. Decentralized ones are created as a result of the transformation of a unitary system into a federal one on the basis of a legal act or by means of a contract. By the presence of subordination - into centralized and non-centralized. Centralized federalism implies the priority of national interests over the interests of members of the federation. Non-centralized is provided by an agreement, and power is distributed between its cells, that is, there is a combination of national interests with the interests of the territories. By the nature of the interdependence of the subjects of the federation, they are dualistic and cooperative models. Dualistic federalism presupposes a strictly fixed division of powers between the center and the subjects. The cooperative model of federalism excludes the hierarchy, the interaction of the parties is achieved by contractual procedures.
