What is federalism? What are the advantages and disadvantages of federalism? Federalism is a type of government in which the sovereignty is shared between a primary governing center and the political units (such as states) that form its foundations (Lacroix 2010, 1-19). In this regard, power is divided between the central national government and local authorities. Federalism is advantageous because it provides a balance of power and, in this way, avoiding situations of individuals abusing public offices. It is because the individual at the top is held accountable by the leaders of the local authorities. Secondly, federalism allows for the proper distribution of government resources. If the entire country is administrated by one central heading body, some regions may end up not receiving a proper share of the available government resources because the leaders at the top may not realize the situation on the ground. Therefore, the county/provincial/state heads step in to advocate for their regions to receive the deserved amount of the public resources. Federalism also encourages innovation. For instance, a number of the local governments may be supporting different reform strategies in a given public domain. An analysis of the available approaches can provide a clear indication of which policy could be better applied in the situation as well as leave room for changes if the need arises. Even with these positives, federalism also has some downfalls. Top on the list is the fact that the division of power between the central government and local authorities can lead to a mix up occasioned by an overlap of various elements. For instance, in times of crisis, there can be a delay in addressing the situation owing to confusion as to whether the central or local government should assume responsibility. Federal governments are also very expensive to maintain. It is because they require that more individuals are elected at both the central and local governments. In this regard, it is only the wealthy states that can afford it. Another weakness of federalism is that it leads to unhealthy competition between regions. With all the states, provinces, and counties forming the various local governments competing for the largest share of the resources, there may be continuous public debates and cajoling by the regional heads seeking allocations that they may not even need. Federalism also brings about regional inequalities. The distribution of resources is uneven in any given country. In the federal systems, the states that have more natural and man-made resources provide more opportunities for their citizens compared to regions with fewer resources. What other styles of government exist? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Aside from federalism, there are two other principal systems of government, unitary state, and confederation. The unitary state systems are governments in which the supreme authority is vested in central power. All the other administrative authorities can only operate within the frameworks established by the central government. The unitary state system has several advantages. First, is the fact that these types of governments are lean and therefore require the election of a small number of allowances. It translates to fewe