Final answer:
Federalism is a shared power structure between national and subnational governments, preferred in multi-ethnic or multi-national regions. Confederal systems grant significant autonomy to member states but can struggle with unity. Unitary governments centralize power for uniform policy enactment and are popular in nations with strong national identities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Comparing Types of Democratic Governments
Democratic governments around the world have different systems for how power is distributed within the state. Let's compare federalism, confederal, and unitary systems, which are all ways of organizing a nation's government.
1. Federalism
In a federal system, power is shared between a national government and various subnational entities, like states or provinces. This promotes autonomy, policy innovation, and can accommodate diverse viewpoints which may exist in distinct regions. For example, the U.S. started as a federalist system and still retains many of these characteristics, although it has some unitary elements as well.
2. Confederation
A confederal system is an association of sovereign member states that, by agreement, have limited powers to a central body, focusing strongly on states' rights and individual needs. Confederations can struggle with internal power struggles and may lack the resources that a strong centralized government provides.
3. Unitary Government
A unitary system centralizes power, with subnational governments having limited authority. Laws are more uniform and efficiently passed with less competition between national and local laws. Nations such as France and Japan with strong national identities typically have unitary systems.
Unitary governments are popular among UN member nations because they tend to work well in countries with a strong sense of national identity and where there is little opposition to central control. This popularity stems from their ability to maintain a stable, streamlined governance structure with less internal conflict compared to federal or confederal systems.