What is Federalism?

In federal countries, power is shared between a government for the whole country – which is sometimes called federal government, national government or Union government – and governments for federal units within this country. Federal units are also often called provinces, states or cantons. Federalism means the constitution divides power between at least two levels or orders of government.Both orders have a direct electoral relationship with their citizens. In some federal countries, people also elect their local government, which may also be constitutionally recognized.

The federal government is responsible for common purposes for the whole country such as national defence, currency and foreign relations. The states or provinces are empowered to act within their areas of responsibility as it is described in the constitution. The federal power cannot take away the power of the federal units.

Watch this Forum of Federations animated video called, β€œWhat is Federalism?” to get a basic understanding of Federalism.

Click the blue button below to learn more about Federalism including which countries are federal and benefits of federalism

New in Federalism
Forum of Federations Resource Library
Publications icon

Publications

ForumFedCast logo

Podcast

Blog icon

Blog

Video Library icon

Video Library

Forum of Federations Programs
Group of people discussing around round table

Thematic Programs

Thematic Programs concern the development and mobilization of knowledge on federal and multilevel governance systems.

Woman writing

Country/Regional Programs

Country/Regional Programs are demand-led initiatives which respond to the needs of stakeholders and donors concerning the creation, development, and reform of governance systems in emerging federal and multilevel countries.

Forum News
Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

πΆπ‘’π‘™π‘’π‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘›π‘” πΌπ‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘Žπ‘™ π‘Šπ‘œπ‘šπ‘’π‘›β€™π‘  π·π‘Žπ‘¦ 🚺

Interested in exploring gender equality and governance with Forum of Federations ?

Tune into the Forum Fedcast 3 part podcast series on gender equality, federalism & multilevel governance.

➑️forumfed.org/forumfedcast
... See MoreSee Less

πΆπ‘’π‘™π‘’π‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘›π‘” πΌπ‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘Žπ‘™ π‘Šπ‘œπ‘šπ‘’π‘›β€™π‘  π·π‘Žπ‘¦ 🚺  Interested in exploring gender equality and governance with Forum of Federations ?  Tune into the Forum Fedcast 3 part podcast series on gender equality, federalism & multilevel governance.  ➑️forumfed.org/forumfedcast

Aujourd’hui c’est la #journΓ©einternationaledelafemme 🚺 ... See MoreSee Less

Aujourd’hui c’est la #journΓ©einternationaledelafemme 🚺
Load more
What is Federalism?
Popular Pages
The Future of Federalism

Click here to experience this special Forum event

Social Media