POSC 1000 Introduction to Politics

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POSC 1000Introduction to Politics

• Unit Six Political Systems
• Russell Alan Williams

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Unit Six Political Systems

• Required Reading MacLean Wood, Chapter 6.
• Outline
• Introduction
• Unitary Systems
• Confederal Systems
• Federal Systems
• Canadian Federalism

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1) Introduction

• While states can be dived along
  presidential/parliamentary/hybrid systems, there
  is also a wide range of practices relating to the
  power of central governments
• Experience has suggested problems with
  centralization in some settings . . . .
• Centralization Concentration of power in a
  single body of government.
• In practice there are three systems of government
  relating to centralization
• Unitary, Federal and Confederal

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• All states have central and local/regional
  governments
• But . . . powers of local/regional governments
  vary
• Determined by constitutions
• Question How do different governments relate
  with one another?
• Is the central government supreme
• Are there power struggles?

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2) Unitary Systems

• Unitary Systems Political system that
  concentrates power within the central government
• Local/regional governments very weak
• Examples?
• Iceland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Japan
• Britain?
• Benefits?
• Uniform national policies
• Local authorities do what they are told
• Efficiency
• Mobility

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• Drawbacks
• Poor at responding to needs of citizens at local
  level
• Delegated Authority Some powers may be
  formally delegated in a unitary system to local
  governments, based on functions being better
  provided at that level.
• E.g. Central governments usually charter towns
  or cities to take responsibilities for certain
  issues
• Powers of those jurisdictions are outlined in
  central government legislation

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• Drawbacks
• Poor at dealing with political economy of
  different regions geography often creates
  different interests
• Decentralization Some powers may be formally
  transferred to a lower level of government with
  more independence and control over policy
• E.g. Paraguay New constitution in 1992 A
  decentralized unitary state
• Created elected governors and councils to
  replaces ones appointed by central gov.
• Central government still controls most issues,
  but local governments more responsive

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• Drawbacks
• Poor at dealing with regionally concentrated
  ethnic/linguistic/national differences
• Devolution A wide range of powers may are
  transferred to a regional government
  representing a different nation
• E.g. Scotland and Wales have new national
  assemblies within the United Kingdom
• Both also send MPs to Westminster
• In Unitary states, powers granted by Devolution
  are still subject to central authority they can
  be taken away . . . .

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3) Confederal Systems

• Confederalism Political system in which power
  is divided between central and regional
  governments.
• In confederal states, real power rests at the
  regional level central governments have
  pooled powers granted to them under limited
  circumstances
• E.g. look after issues on behalf of regional
  governments National defence, foreign relations
  etc.
• Real World examples????
• United States (18th century)
• The European Union Union of 27 states. Has
  parliament, and has control over foreign policy,
  economic affairs and more . . . .

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4) Federal Systems

• Federalism System of governance in which power
  and responsibilities are formally divided between
  central and regional governments.
• Local/regional governments States,
  Provinces, Lander
• Regional governments powers are constitutional
  they cannot be changed without their consent
  divided sovereignty
• Separate jurisdictions
• Regional governments have important independent
  sources of revenue
• Examples U.S., Canada, Australia and Germany

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• Most federations are products of political
  expediency. Federalism was necessary to state
  formation . . . .
• Example United States
• Example Canada
• Results in different dynamics from unitary states
  regional governments (states and provinces) are
  indivisible, but the same may not be true of the
  central government . . . .

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• Like Unitary States, Federations can be more or
  less centralized . . . depends on political
  factors
• Centralized Federalism Central Government
  retains most real power
• Can be constitutionally driven . . . . But also
  maybe a pattern that emerges due to financial
  strength of central governments

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• Like Unitary States, Federations can be more or
  less centralized . . . depends on political
  factors
• More decentralized federations?
• Switzerland? Canada???

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• Benefits?
• Regional accommodation!
• Problems?
• Inefficiency duplication of services
• Mobility problems
• Uneven policies . . . Some provinces have more
  than others . . . .

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• Duplication of authority and services
• E.g. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• Canada, US, Mexico are all federations some
  areas of trade and economic policy involve four
  levels of government
• Multilevel governance is much more complex,
  time consuming and can be inefficient . . . .

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• Benefits?
• Regional accommodation!
• Problems?
• Inefficiency duplication of services
• Mobility problems
• Uneven policies . . . Some provinces have more
  than others . . . .

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5) Canadian Federalism

• Canadian federalism is constitutionally-entrenched
  . Provinces have powers the federal government
  cannot change
• Constitution Act (1867) assigned specific
  jurisdictions to federal and provincial
  governments and some jurisdictions to both . . .
  .
• E.g. Concurrent Powers Shared jurisdictions
  where both governments have significant authority
• Direct Taxation, Immigration, Agriculture etc.
• Division of Powers The constitutional division
  of responsibilities between provinces and the
  federal government in Canadian Federalism
• VERY POLITICAL Federalism, and struggle over
  provincial and federal rights dominates
  politics and public policy in Canada

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• Federal government also has powers of
• Reservation Lieutenant Governor can send
  provincial legislation to federal cabinet for
  approval
• Disallowance Federal cabinet can (in theory)
  veto provincial legislation
• In theory, Federal government should have had
  most power, but things have not really worked out
  that way . . . . Canadian federalism has gone
  through periods of centralization and
  decentralization

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• Canadian federalism has a problem
• Federal government was assigned most of the
  important responsibilities (in the 19th
  century)
• Federal Govt has most of the money power to
  tax and raise revenues is clearer
• In the real world provinces have most of the
  spending responsibilities (health, education and
  social services) but limited money
• When combined with high levels of regionalism,
  ethnic nationalist tensions, etc. Canadian
  federalism has had to evolve

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• Canadian Federalism Phases
• Early years British JCPC (Canadas Supreme
  Court until 1949) interprets the Canadian
  constitution weirdly supports provincial
  rights
• Transfers new powers to provinces at expense of
  federal government provincial jurisdiction
  grows

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• Canadian Federalism Phases
• Cooperative Federalism Governments cooperate
  and coordinate policies regardless of
  jurisdictions effective centralization
• After World War II, public wants bigger social
  programs provincial jurisdictions, but
  provinces have no money solution the power of
  the purse
• Federal government intrudes in provincial
  jurisdiction, creating national programs (E.g.
  Medicare)
• Provinces get Conditional Grants to deliver the
  programs
• Unconditional Grants Federal transfers to
  provinces to support their activities
• E.g. transfer payments, equalization etc.

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• Canadian Federalism Phases
• Executive Federalism A more conflictual style
  of federalism where provinces have tried to
  achieve greater autonomy from federal control
• Political executives of provinces and federal
  governments meet to negotiate national policy
  goals
• Federal financial problems have weakened ability
  to influence provinces since 1980s
• Provincial governments jurisdictions seem to
  have grown
• E.g. Trade, finance, climate change . . . .

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• Problems with Canadian federalism
• Duplication . . . .
• Provincial variation in programs and mobility . .
  . .
• Ambiguity about jurisdiction creates constant
  bickering over programs
• Provinces are not all equal . . . Some provinces
  have valuable natural resources and some do not .
  . . Many of them are going broke in the era of
  Executive Federalism
• Demands for Equalization!

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• Federal Government transfer payments to
  provinces
• General CHST transfers to support programs
• Equalization A system of additional transfers
  to provinces that lack tax base to afford
  equivalent programs to better off provinces
• Principle of Constitution Act (1982)
• Transfers to have not provinces

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• Finacial challenges of Canadian federalism
• Example Newfoundland
• NL Govt Revenue comes from
• Provincial taxes
• CHST
• Equalization
• Oil Revenue (Atlantic Accord)
• NL briefly had more revenue per person than any
  province in Canada
• However . . . New program 2007(!)

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NL PE NS NB QC MB SK BC TOTAL
2006-07 632 291 1,386 1,451 5,539 1,709 13 260 11,281
2007-08 477 294 1,308 1,477 7,160 1,826 226 0 12,768
2008-09 197 310 1,294 1,492 7,622 2,003 0 0 12,918
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• Financial challenges of Canadian federalism
• Like the other attempts to manage Canadian
  federalism, equalization has generated political
  controversy and tension illustrates drawbacks
  of federalism????

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For next time

• Unit Seven Elections and Political Parties
  (March 4, 6, 11 and 13)
• Required Reading
• MacLean and Wood, Chapter 7.