The exact balance of power

between the central and the state

government varies from one federation

to another. This balance depends

mainly on the historical context in which

the federation was formed. There are

two kinds of routes through which

federations have been formed. The first

route involves independent States

coming together on their own to form

a bigger unit, so that by pooling

sovereignity and retaining identity they

can increase their security. This type of

‘coming together’ federations include

the USA, Switzerland and Australia. In

this first category of federations, all the

constituent States usually have equal

power and are strong vis-à-vis the

federal government.

The second route is where a large

country decides to divide its power

between the constituent States and the

national government. India, Spain and

Belgium are examples of this kind of

‘holding together’ federations. In

this second category, the central

government tends to be more powerful

vis-à-vis the States. Very often different

constituent units of the federation have

unequal powers. Some units are

granted special powers.

Hoope this helps.