Political vocabulary & government processes · Article 2 of 20 · United States
Federalism
Power divided between national and state governments.
What the term means
Federalism distributes public authority across national and state governments. Each level has institutions, budgets and responsibilities; local governments generally receive their powers through state law.
How it works in practice
Federal law validly enacted under constitutional authority can displace conflicting state law. At the same time, states regulate many matters of daily life, including education and most ordinary criminal law.
A concrete example
A housing policy may involve federal grants, state standards and local zoning. Those are distinct decisions by different governments, not a single chain of command.
What to examine next
Ask which level of government has legal authority, who funds implementation and who can be held accountable.
Next: Separation of powers.