Central government

Central government

A central government also known as a national government, union government and in federal states, the federal government,[1] is the government at the level of the nation-state. The structure of central governments varies from institution to institution. Many countries have created autonomous regions by delegating powers from the central government to governments at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Based on a broad definition of a basic political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and govern through common institutions with overlapping or shared powers as prescribed by a constitution or other law.

Usual responsibilities of this level of government which are not granted to lower levels are maintaining national security and exercising international diplomacy, including the right to sign binding treaties. Basically, the central government has the power to make laws for the whole country, in contrast with local governments. For definition of levels of government see also general government (in economics).

Generally, the difference between a central government and a federal central government is that the autonomous status of self-governing regions exists by the sufferance of the central government and are often created through a process of devolution. As such they may be unilaterally revoked with a simple change in the law. An example of this was done in 1973 when the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 abolished the government of Northern Ireland which had been created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It is common for a federal central government to be brought into being by agreement between a number of formally independent states and therefore its powers to affect the status of the balance of powers is significantly smaller (i.e. The United States). Thus federal central governments are often established voluntarily from 'below' whereas devolution grants self-government from 'above'.

Contents

Examples of (non-federal) central governments

There are many countries which have delegated powers, some include:

Examples of federal central governments

A federal government is the common name of the central government of a federation. Examples include:

The United States is considered the first modern federation. After declaring independence from Britain, the U.S. adopted its first constitution, the Articles of Confederation in 1781. This was the first step towards federalism by establishing the confederal Congress. However, Congress was limited as to its ability to pursue economic, military, and judiciary reform. In 1787, the Second Continental Congress drafted the United States Constitution during the Philadelphia Convention. After the ratification of the Constitution by nine states in 1788, the U.S. was officially a federation, but putting the U.S. in a unique position where the central government exists by the sufferance of the individual states rather than the reverse.

Other states followed suit in establishing federal governments: Switzerland (1848); Canada (1867); Germany (1871 and again 1949); Australia (1901); Austria (1920 and again 1945) and India (1947 and again 1950).[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Constitution". US federal government. http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/the-constitution. Retrieved 17 Jul 2010. 
  2. ^ Watts, R., "Comparing Federal Systems" (2nd ed.) SPC Queen's U (1999) pp 20-26.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • central government — noun The government controlling a whole country, as opposed to local government • • • Main Entry: ↑centre * * * central government UK US noun [countable/uncountable] [singular central government plural …   Useful english dictionary

  • central government — n [U and C] especially BrE the level of government which deals with national rather than local things →↑local government …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • central government — UK / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms central government : singular central government plural central governments the government of a whole country a new partnership between local and central government …   English dictionary

  • ˌcentral ˈgovernment — noun [C/U] the government of a whole country a new partnership between local and central government[/ex] …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • Central Government Complex, Tamar — will be the new location for the offices of the Central Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.Located at the Tamar site, the complex will house the Office of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, the Legislative Council of Hong Kong… …   Wikipedia

  • central government borrowing requirement — ➔ requirement * * * central government borrowing requirement UK US noun [U] (ABBREVIATION CGBR) ECONOMICS, FINANCE ► the amount of money that a government needs to borrow to cover its costs for a particular period of time: »They are determined to …   Financial and business terms

  • Central Government Offices — The Central Government Offices (zh t|t=中區政府合署, also Government Headquarters 政府總部) houses the most major offices of the Hong Kong Government. Located in the Central in Hong Kong. It occupies the lower level of Government Hill.HistoryCompleted in… …   Wikipedia

  • Central Government Health Scheme — The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) was started under the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 1954 with the objective of providing comprehensive medical care facilities to Central Government employees and their family… …   Wikipedia

  • Central Government War Headquarters — The Central Government War Headquarters is a 35 acre complex built convert|100|ft|m underground as the United Kingdom s Emergency Government War Headquarters the hub of the country s alternative seat of power outside London during a nuclear war… …   Wikipedia

  • central government — noun (C, U) the government of a whole country, as opposed to local government …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”