20+ Differences between The federal government and State government (Explained)

The federal and state governments are the major forms of government in almost every country. Despite all their similarities, both forms of government are often confused with one another.

A federal government can be best described as one with the power to govern every state of a country. In contrast, a State government can be best described as one with the power to govern only the state they are elected in. 

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Key Differences

Federal government

1. It is a form of government that can be understood as the government that can rule any or every state. In sarcastic terms, it can be best described as the state government’s boss. 
2. One of the classic features of this form of government is that all the various laws, rules, and regulations apply to the nation. 
3. This form of government is the only government that makes decisions regarding foreign trade and policies, along with various decisions relating to the army and forces. 
4. If an emergency has to be declared war, then the Federal government will only make the decisions regarding such matters. 

State government

1. It is a form of government that has the power to rule or govern the state only where it has won the election. It can not govern any other state apart from its own. 
2. One of the major characteristics of this form of government that distinguishes it from the Federal government is that whenever any State government makes any laws, rules, or regulations, all those regulations apply to the state where it operates. Those rules do not apply in any other state of the country. 
3. This form of government plays no role in making decisions relating to foreign trade and the army. 
4. This form of government cannot declare war, no matter the situation. 

Comparison Between The Federal Government And State Government

Parameter	Federal government	State government
Meaning	It can be best described as a government with the power to control the whole nation. In a hierarchy, this government comes at the topmost level, and the decisions of this government imply to the whole nation and are considered final.	It can be best described as a government with the power to control the only state where it operates. In a hierarchy, this government comes after the Federal government. The decisions of this government only imply to the state it operates.
Extent of scope	The scope of this government is limited to the concerned nation. The decisions made up by this government imply only to the nation it operates in. Hence, all citizens must follow all the rules respectively.	The scope of this government is limited to the state it operates. The decisions of this government do not imply to the whole nation but to the concerned state. Thus, the rules of various states must be followed by the state’s respective citizens and those traveling to those states.
Powers	The range of power is more in the case of this form of government than in State government. Some of the exclusive powers enjoyed by this government are being in charge of matters related to foreign exchange and trade, framing national laws, rules or regulations, declaring war, framing laws, rules or regulations regarding copyrights and patents, etc.	The range of powers is less in the case of this form of government than in the Federal government. Some of the exclusive powers enjoyed by this government are being in charge of matters related to foreign exchange and trade, framing national laws, rules or regulations, declaring war, framing laws, rules or regulations regarding copyrights and patents, etc.
Decisions	The Federal government only makes decisions relating to foreign exchange, international or global trade, armed forces, national laws, rules, and regulations.	This form of government cannot make decisions regarding foreign exchange, international or global trade, armed forces, national laws, rules, and regulations.
Number	One of the hallmark features of this government is that in every country, there is only one Federal government.	One of the classic features of this government is that in every country, there is more than one state government.

Major Differences Between The Federal Government And The State Government. 

What exactly is the Federal government? 

This form of government prevails in every country and is considered the ultimate government with all major powers. The scope of this government is not limited to any state but rather to the whole country.

This government is the only government in a country that can make decisions regarding national policies, laws, rules, and regulations. Additionally, it is their job only to make various decisions in foreign exchange and the armed forces. 

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Key takeaways: Federal government 

1. It refers to a form of government that is present in almost every country and is considered the supreme form of government that has the power to rule the whole nation. 
2. Whatever the Federal government decides on anything, it implies to the whole country and has to be followed by the whole country. 
3. This form of government can make decisions regarding foreign exchange and trade, armed forces, and national laws, rules, and regulations. 
4. There is only one federal government in every country. 
5. In almost every country, there is only one Federal government. 

What exactly is the State government? 

Like the Federal government, this type of government also prevails in every country. It can be best understood as a government with the power to rule or govern only in the state in which it exists. The state government has no business anywhere outside its demographic region.

All the various decisions and rules or regulations this government takes are limited to the state where it prevails. It should be noted that this government has no power regarding foreign trade and exchange, armed forces, or declaring war. 

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Key Takeaways: State government 

1. It refers to a form of government that is present in almost every country and has the scope of its powers limited to the state it operates in. 
2. All the decisions this government takes imply to the only state it operates on and does not imply to any other state or the whole nation. 
3. This form of government can make decisions regarding matters that include the concerned state. It does not have the power to make foreign exchange/trade decisions, armed forces, national laws, rules, and regulations. 
4. A country has many state governments as per the number of states. 
5. In almost every country, there is more than one State government. 

The Contrast Between The Federal Government And The State Government

Meaning 

• The federal government – It can best be described as a government with the power to rule or govern the nation. This government is considered the most superior type of government whose decisions are considered last and final and imply to the whole nation. 

• State government – It can be best described as a government with the power to rule or govern only the region in which it operates. This government comes below the Federal government. All the decisions this government takes up only imply to the concerned state. 

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Federal Governments: 

1. Executive branch: This branch of the Federal government is concerned with the enforcement of laws. And the president of the United States of America (USA) is the head of it, and he is the only one who implants the laws made by the Legislative branch. 
2. Legislative branch: This branch of the Federal government is concerned with making and drafting various laws. This whole branch is called Congress and comprises two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the USA, it is estimated to have a hundred Senators and 425 House Representatives. 
3. Judicial branch: This branch of the Federal government comprises the Supreme court and is responsible for passing a judgment regarding the laws created by the Executives and Legislatures. The supreme court and nine justices are the two main components of this branch.

State Governments: 

1. Executive branch: The work of this branch of the State government is the same as that of the Federal government. However, unlike the Federal government, this branch of State government has governors as heads that are directly elected. 
2. Legislative branch: This branch of State government is concerned with giving attention to the matters that are taken into account by the Executive branch. Along with that, it is also their responsibility to approve various laws and budgets of the concerned state. This branch can also be further divided into two parts: the Smaller Upper house ( Senate) and the Larger Lower house (House of representatives). 
3. Judicial branch: The function of this branch of State government is the same as that of the Federal government’s judicial branch. A state’s supreme court is considered the head of this branch and considers various matters of the lower courts. 

Extent of scope

• The federal government – The scope of this government is limited to the country in which it operates. All the various decisions, rules, and regulations that this government makes imply to the whole nation and must be followed by every citizen. 

• State government – The scope of this government is limited to the state in which it operates. All the various decisions, rules, and regulations that are taken up by this government imply the only state it is governing. It does not imply any other state or the whole nation. Hence, these rules must be followed by the people who are citizens of the concerned state. 

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Exclusive vs. Concurrent powers. 

• Two types of powers are enjoyed by any two forms of government: Exclusive and Concurrent powers. Exclusive powers can be best described as powers that are given to only one type of government and can not be exercised by any other government.

• Concurrent powers can be best described as powers that are commonly given to more than one type of government. These powers can be exercised by all the types of government that togetherly have concurrent powers. 

Powers

• The Federal Government – This government is known for having greater powers than the State government. Some of the exclusive powers of this government are that this government is the only government that can declare war, handle foreign exchange and international trade, create various policies regarding international trade/foreign exchange, regulate and makes various laws regarding copyrights/patents, and establishes various post offices. 

• State Government – Compared to the State government, this government is known for having a lesser amount and range of powers. Some of the exclusive powers of this government include conducting elections, handling inter and intra states trade, helping with the establishment of local government, and handling matters related to public healthcare and educational institutions. 

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Exclusive Powers of Federal and State government 

Federal Government: 

1. Declaring war. 
2. Handling foreign exchange and international trade. 
3. Creation of various policies regarding foreign exchange and international trade. 
4. Making national laws, rules, and regulations. 
5. Regulating and creating various laws regarding copyrights and patents. 

State Government:

1. Conducting and regulating elections. 
2. Handling interstate and intrastate trades. 
3. Regulating local government. 
4. Taking measures for public health. 
5. Creating various state policies. 
6. Regulating various educational institutions. 

Concurrent powers of Federal and State governments 

1. Formulating and regulating taxes. 
2. Regulating crimes. 
3. Providing for criminal justice. 
4. Helping with societal welfare. 
5. Ensuring the constitution is followed everywhere. 
6. Borrowing money. 
7. Ensuring public safety. 

Decisions

• The federal government – The Federal government only makes various decisions relating to foreign exchange, international or global trade, armed forces, national laws, rules, and regulations. No other form of government can make those decisions. 

• State government – This form of government cannot make decisions regarding foreign exchange, international or global trade, armed forces, national laws, rules, and regulations. 

Number

• The federal government – One of the unique characteristics of this government is that it is always one in number. A country can not have more than one federal government. 

• State government – The classic characteristic of this government is that a nation typically has more than one state government. 

CONCLUSION

The Federal government and State government are often confused with one another due to their various similarities. But despite all the similarities, both are very different.

The major difference between the federal and state governments is that the former has controlled the entire nation. In contrast, the latter controls only the state where it operates. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) 

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