Advantages and Disadvantages of Federal Government

Advantages of Federal Governments

Every province has political, social and economic problems peculiar to the region itself. Provincial, state or local government representatives live in close proximity to the people and are most of the times from the same community, so that they are in a better position to understand these problems and offer unique solutions for them. For example, traffic congestion along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway in Lagos state is a problem that can be best solved by the local government, keeping local factors in mind, rather than by somebody living in Kaduna.

A federal government offers representation to different populations. Citizens of various provinces may have different aspirations, ethnicity and follow different cultures. The central government can sometimes overlook these differences and adopt policies which cater to the majority. This is where the regional government steps in.

While formulating policies, local needs, tastes and opinions are given due consideration by the state governments. Rights of the minorities are protected too. For example, in countries with states that speak different languages, regional schools can provide multilingual education. State governments have the freedom to adopt policies which may not be followed nationally or by any other state. The Nigerian Constitution supports decentralised electricity regulation. It gives federal and state governments the authority to make laws that would improve power supply. This is intended to improve supply of power.

Division of work between the central and the regional governments leads to optimum utilization of resources. The central government can concentrate more on international affairs and defense of the country while the provincial government can cater to the local needs.

Federalism provides room for innovation and experimentation. Two local governments can have two different approaches to bring reforms in any area of public domain, be it taxation or education. The comparison of the results of these policies can give a clear idea of which policy is better and thus, can be adopted in the future.

Disadvantages of Federal Governments

Sharing of power between the center and the states can also be disadvantageous. Sometimes, there can be overlapping of work and subsequent confusion regarding who is responsible for what. For example, when typhoon Katrina hit Greater New Orleans, USA, in 2005, there was delay in the rescue work as there was confusion between the state governments and the federal government on who is responsible for which disaster management work. This resulted in the loss of many lives.

The federal system of government is very expensive as more people are elected to office, both at the state and the center, than necessary. Thus, it is often said that only rich countries can afford it. Too many elected representatives with overlapping roles may also lead to corruption.

Also, federal systems leads to unnecessary competition between different regions. There can be a rebellion by a regional government against the national government too. Both scenarios pose a threat to the countries’ integrity.

It is also promotes regional inequalities. Natural resources, industries, employment opportunities differ from region to region. Hence, earnings and wealth are unevenly distributed. Rich states offer more opportunities and benefits to its citizens than poor states can. Thus, the gap between rich and poor states widens.

It can also make the state governments selfish and concerned only about their own region’s progress. They can formulate policies which might be detrimental to other regions. For example, pollution from a province which is promoting industrialization in a big way can affect another region which depends solely on agriculture and cause crop damage.

Summary

Advantages:

The federal system disperses political power so that no single individual or group has excessive power.
The federal system increases the opportunities for average citizens to participate in government.
The federal system makes government more manageable.
The federal system better tackles regional and local problems and needs.

Disadvantages:

The federal system makes decision making more complex and difficult. National decisions can sometimes compete with state decisions.
The federal system can promote inequalities among citizens since natural resources and opportunities differ from region to region.