46 PART ONE • THE AMERICAN SYSTEM
Unitary System
A centralized
governmental system
in which ultimate
governmental authority
rests in the hands of
the national, or central,
government.
Confederal System
A system consisting of a
league of independent
states, in which the central
government created by the
league has only limited
powers over the states.multiple forms to be completed, multiple procedures to be followed, and multiple laws to
be obeyed. Many programs are funded by the national government but administered by
state and local governments.
Relations between central governments and local units can be structured in various
ways. Federalism is one of these ways. Understanding federalism and how it differs from
other forms of government is important in understanding the American political system.
Indeed, many political issues today would not arise if we did not have a federal form of
government in which governmental authority is divided between the central government
and various subunits.FEdERAlISM ANd ITS AlTERNATIvES
There are almost two hundred independent nations in the world today. Each of these
nations has its own system of government. Generally, though, we can describe how
nations structure relations between central governments and local units in terms of three
models: (1) the unitary system, (2) the confederal system, and (3) the federal system. The
most popular, both historically and today, is the unitary system.A Unitary System
A unitary system of government is the easiest to define. Unitary systems place ultimate
governmental authority in the hands of the national, or central, government. Consider a
typical unitary system—France. The regions, departments, communes, and municipalities
in France have elected and appointed officials.
So far, the French system appears to be very similar to the U.S. system, but the similar
ity is only superficial. Under the unitary French system, the decisions of the lower levels of
government can be overruled by the national government. The national government also
can cut off the funding for many local government activities. Moreover, in a unitary system
such as that in France, all questions of education, police, the use of land, and welfare are
handled by the national government. Britain, Egypt, Ghana, Israel, Japan, the Philippines,
and Sweden—in fact, a majority of all nations—have unitary systems of government.^1A Confederal System
You were introduced to the elements of a confederal system of government in Chapter 2,
when we examined the Articles of Confederation. A confederation is the opposite of a
unitary governing system. It is a league of independent states in which a central govern
ment or administration handles only those matters of common concern expressly dele
gated to it by the member states. The central government has no ability to make laws
directly applicable to member states unless the members explicitly support such laws. The
United States under the Articles of Confederation was a confederal system.
Few, if any, confederations of this kind exist. One possible exception is the European
Union (EU), a league of countries that has developed a large body of Europewide laws
that all members must observe. Many members even share a common currency, the euro.
Not all members of the EU use the euro, however, which demonstrates the limits of a
confederal system.- Recent legislation has altered somewhat the unitary character of the French political system. In
Britain, the unitary nature of the government has been modified by the creation of the Scottish
Parliament.
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