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Politics & Government vocabulary · Political Systems

Federalism

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

/ˈfedərəlɪzəm/nounCommon term

In politics & government, federalism means: A system in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments, such as states or provinces, each with its own responsibilities.

In Turkish: federalizm, federal yapı

How it is used

Used in political science and constitutional law. Germany, Canada and the United States are examples of federal states. The contrasting model is the unitary state, where power is concentrated at the centre. The adjective is federal: federal government, federal law.

Example sentences

  1. Under federalism, education is often the responsibility of the regional governments.

  2. The textbook compares federalism with the unitary model.

Common collocations

  • fiscal federalism
  • federal system
  • federal government
  • cooperative federalism
  • stateA country considered as a political organization with its own government, laws and territory; also the permanent institutions that govern it.
  • local governmentThe system of councils and officials that run public services and make decisions for a particular city, town or region rather than for the whole country.
  • sovereigntyThe highest authority of a state to govern itself and make its own laws without outside control; also the idea of where final political authority lies, for example with the people.
  • constitutionThe basic set of laws and principles that sets out how a state is organized, what powers its institutions have and what rights its citizens enjoy.

More terms: Political Systems

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