Federalism is a
political concept describing the practice whereby a
group of members are bound together by agreement or covenant (Latin:
foedus, ) with a governing
representative head. It refers to a system of
government in which
sovereignty is
constitutionally shared between a central governing authority and constituent political units (such as states or provinces). Leading examples of such a political system, or
federation, include Switzerland, Germany, the United States, Canada, Australia and India. Federalism is a system based upon
democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments. The term
federalist describes several political beliefs around the world depending on context.
