Federalism
联邦制

Federalism is a principle of government that defines the relationship between the central government at the national level and its constituent units at various regional levels. Under this principle, power and authority is allocated between the national and local governmental units, such that each unit is delegated a sphere of power and authority only it can exercise, while other powers must be shared.
联邦制是界定一国中央政府及其在各地组成单位之间关系的政府原则。依据该原则，权力和权能在中央和各地政府单位间分配，一定范围的权力和权能被授予给地方单位独立行使，其他权力由中央和地方共同行使。

The term federalism is derived from the Latin root foedus , which means “formal agreement or covenant.” As defined by the United States Constitution, federalism is a fundamental aspect of American government, whereby the states are not merely regional representatives of the federal government, but are granted independent powers and responsibilities. States are empowered to pass, enforce, and interpret laws, provided they do not violate the Constitution.
“联邦制”一词发源于拉丁语词根foedus ，意思是正式的协议或契约。根据美国宪法规定，联邦制是美国政府的一个根本原则，规定各州政府不仅仅是联邦政府在各地的代表，也有独立的权利和义务。只要不违反宪法，各州可以自主制定、实施和解释法律。

The precise extent of state and federal responsibility has always been controversial. The meaning of federalism varies with country and historical context. Movements associated with the establishment or development of federations can exhibit either centralising or decentralising trends. For example, at the time those nations were being established, factions known as “federalists” in the United States and Australia advocated the formation of strong central government. In contrast, in Spain and in post-war Germany, federal movements have sought decentralisation: the transfer of power from central authorities to local units.
州和联邦具体的权力范围长期以来备受争议。联邦制也因不同的国家情形和历史进程而被赋予不同的含义。有关联邦制度的建立和发展的运动总是有中央集权和地方分权两大趋势。例如，当这些国家刚刚建立之时，美国和澳大利亚被称作“联邦党人”的政治团体就提倡建立强有力的中央政府。与之相反，在西班牙和战后德国，联邦运动就倾向于分权，即将中央政府权力分散给地方。