Philosophy.Com

federalism & subsidiarity

Interesting. It defines federalism as

".....a form of government dividing political authority among two or more levels, usually with a written constitutional document detailing the division of powers among these levels....Federalism is an institutional means of recognizing the need for local communities to rule themselves in accordance with their own perceived interests."

It is stated that it is not suprising that some of the largest countries in the world, such as Canada, the United States, Australia, Brazil, and Mexico, organize their governments along federal lines.

"If all policy decisions were to emanate from a distant capital city, irrespective of the divergent needs of local populations, such a country would come to resemble nothing more than a highly centralized empire, whose every action would likely engender alienation outside the capital itself."

Federalism is an institutional means of recognizing the need for local communities to rule themselves in accordance with their own perceived interests. When the old Catholic principle of subsidiarity is introduced, it opens up a level of autonomy for the lower levels in a federal system. It acts to counter the historic tendency for federal systems to become progressively more centralized.

What subsidiarity discloses is the determination of citizens to maintain the vitality of their local communities and to pressure their state (regional) governments' capacity to enable local communities to live flourishing lives.

Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at September 15, 2004 11:58 PM | TrackBack