Comaparitive Constitution
Comaparitive Constitution
Comaparitive Constitution
A Comprehensive Assignment on -
UNITARY AND FEDERAL SYSTEM
SUBJECT –COMPARATIVE PUBLIC LAW
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Introduction - UNITARY AND FEDERAL SYSTEMS
Depending on how a constitution organizes power between
the central and sub national governments, a country may be said to
possess either a unitary or a federal system. In a unitary system the only
level of government besides the central is the local or municipal
government. Although local governments may enjoy considerable
autonomy, their powers are not accorded constitutional status; the
central government determines which decisions to “devolve” to the local
level and may abolish local governments if it so chooses. In federal
systems there is an intermediate level of governmental authority between
the central and the local; it usually consists of states or provinces, though
other entities (e.g., cantons or republics) may exist in some countries.
Aside from the number of levels, the most important distinction between
a unitary system and a federal one is that the states or provinces of a
federal state have constitutionally protected sovereignty. Within a federal
system the state or provincial governments share sovereignty with the
central government and have final jurisdiction over a broad range of
policy areas.
UNITARY GOVERNMENT
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world are based on unitary system of government. It is slightly different
from federal model of government. In unitary government, central
government has the power to increase or curtail the power of sub
national units. It can create and abolished the same. UK, Afghanistan,
Italy, China, Saudi Arabia, Spain, etc., are the important examples of
unitary government.
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4. Rigid or Flexible Constitution: Unlike a federation, a unitary state
may or may not have a rigid constitution, e.g., the constitution of
England is flexible but that of France is slightly rigid.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
In the federal system, power is jointly shared between the state and
federal governments. In the federal government system, the powers
never rest with one national government. However, there can be certain
powers and authorities that remain totally with the federal government
like policies on defence, budget, international diplomacy, etc. The
hierarchy of power in federal government system starts from the federal
level and then flows to the state and then local level.
The unitary structure is the type of government under which the power is
concentrated only in one authority, i.e. the centre. The central
government has the final authority. The unitary structure is centralised.
UK, France, Japan, China and Saudi Arabia have a unitary government
structure.
1. For countries that are smaller in size, a unitary structure is the most
suitable.
2. It is less expensive
as there is no
extensive authority
to be funded.
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3. Unitary structure is quick in decision-making as all the decisions are
made by a single authority.
2. Central government may not have any knowledge about the problems
and needs of the people living in rural areas.
4. Under the unitary form of government, the country may face unequal
development and growth. The central government can find it extremely
tough to develop every part of the nation at the same time without
delegation of authority and powers.
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The federal structure is a type of government in which the power is
divided between the centre/union and the state. The central government
has the power to delegate its authority to the state government. The
federal structure is decentralised. That is, under this system of
government, the country is controlled and governed by several local
offices or authorities rather than one single authority.
Further, under this structure, the state enjoys some independent rights.
And, both the centre and the state have their independent set of
governmental machines. However, international diplomacy, national
security, foreign affairs and other kinds of international dealings are
wholly made by the central or national government. United States,
Germany, India, Mexico and Brazil are some countries that have the
federal structure of government.
2. As power is divided between the union and the state, this structure is
efficient in terms of governance and administration.
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4. The division of powers between the central and state government
brings excellent utilisation of resources. The central government can
focus more on international affairs and the country’s defence, while the
state government can deal with the regional needs.
Along with the advantages of the federal system, there are also some
disadvantages. These are:
Here are the main differences between the federal and unitary structures
of governments:
There are two levels of government There is only one level of government
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under this structure. under this structure.
There are two sets of laws for the The law is uniform for the whole
citizens under this government country under this structure of
structure. government.
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Quasi federal refers to a system of government where the
distribution of powers between the Center and the state are not equal.
India is a federation with a unitary bias and is referred as a quasi federal
state because of strong central machinery. The Constitution of India has
not described India as a federation. On the other hand, Article 1 of the
Constitution describes India as a “Union of States.” This means, India is
a union comprising of various States which are integral parts of it. The
Indian Union is not destructible. Here, the States cannot break away
from the union. They do not have the right to secede from the union. In a
true federation, the constituting units or the States have the freedom to
come out of the union. India is not a true federation. It combines the
features of a federal government and the features of a unitary
government which can also be called the non-federal features.
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subjects including criminal law, marriage, divorce, trade unions,
electricity etc. The residuary powers have been vested in the central
government.
Models Of Federalism
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Cooperative and Competitive Federalism in India
Federalism is derived from the Latin world foedus, which means
agreement. In fact federation is an agreement between two types of
governments sharing power and controlling their respective spheres.
Thus a federation is a system of national and local governments,
combined under a common sovereignty with both national as well as
federating units having autonomous spheres assigned to them by the
constitution.
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o In a free-market economy, the endowments of states, available
resource base and their comparative advantages all foster a spirit
of competition. Increasing globalisation, however, increased the
existing inequalities and imbalances between states.
o In Competitive federalism States need to compete among
themselves and also with the Centre for benefits.
o States compete with each other to attract funds and investment,
which facilitates efficiency in administration and enhances
developmental activities.
o The investors prefer more developed states for investing their
money. Union government devolves funds to the states on the
basis of usage of previously allocated funds.
o Healthy competition strives to improve physical and social
infrastructure within the state.
Competitive federalism is not part of the basic structure of Indian
constitution. It is the decision of executives.
Constitutional Position
o With the roll out of the GST, this federal structure is further
cemented.
o Government has abolished Planning Commission and replaced it
with NITI Aayog. One of the mandates of the NITI Aayog is to
develop competitive federalism. Under it;
o State governments would not look towards centre for policy
guidelines and fiscal resources.
o Share of states in central tax revenue has been increased from
32% to 42% after the recommendation of the finance commission.
o States have freedom to plan their expenditure based on their own
priorities.
o States would work with centre on a shared vision of national
objectives.
o Restructuring of centrally sponsored schemes.
o Financial sector bailout programme under UDAY scheme.
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o Swachh Bharat Ranking system.
o Most of the state now organizes investors meet to showcase
facilities in their state to attract business and investment. This has
lead to improvement in business environment in various states.
o State wise Ease of Doing Business ranking to build a huge
sense of competition.
Hindrances for Competitive federalism
At that time, the Supreme Court rose to new heights. The inclusion of the
Due Process Clause has enlarged its authority. The Court interpreted the
provisions of the Constitution in a novel manner and acted as an umpire
between the Center and State as well as the different organs. The
Supreme Court judged the authority of one organ against another,
confirmed the power of the Union against the State and guarded the
individual against infringement by the State.
Federalism in Canada
Conclusion
The End
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