Читать книгу Political Science For Dummies - Marcus A. Stadelmann - Страница 96

Federalism works better in a large diverse nation. How can a central government represent the many different groups making up the United States? In the U.S., there are many local and regional differences. Local and state governments are much more likely to represent these differences compared to a central government thousands of miles away. Federalism therefore allows for diversity in the U.S. to be better reflected than a strong all-powerful central government. The state government of Louisiana, for example, is much more likely to be aware of and reflect Cajun culture than the central government in Washington, D.C., thousands of miles away.

Unitary governments, on the other hand, totally ignore any form of diversity in a country. All decisions are made at the central level, ignoring local differences. This often results in citizens being opposed to policies because they don’t reflect their values. Not surprisingly, unitary forms of governments are better suited for less diverse and more homogenous nations. This explains why it works so well in France or the Netherlands.

Are there any advantages to unitary systems? Yes, there are. The major advantage of a unitary system is its uniformity. The same types of policies apply to every part of a nation, which makes it easier for both people and businesses to know what to expect. A person in France knows exactly which laws and regulations are in effect regardless of the part of France he’s in. A good example are building regulations for private homes. In the U.S., regulations vary from state to state. This can be tough on prospective home owners and also builders who construct homes across states. In France, the regulations are the same everywhere in the country. This makes it easier for both buyers and builders.

A second very topical example involves taxation. In a unitary system, taxes (personal income, sales, and property) are the same throughout the country. There’s no reason to move to another part of France to avoid paying higher taxes. In the U.S., taxation is high in some states and low in others. With the states being able to set their own rate for income, sales, and property taxes, some states are more expensive to live in than others. This has led to a mass exodus from high-tax states to low-tax states. Today, California, one of the states with the highest tax rates, is losing population, while Texas, a low-tax state, is gaining people rapidly and will at some point overtake California as the most populous state in the union.

Finally, unitary systems do better with public education. With the central government setting similar high standards for the whole nation, nobody is allowed to deviate from it, while the central government provides the funding for education. Today, both France and Japan have some of the highest educational standards in the world.