Structure axis
Federal vs Unitary
Should power live in local and regional governments, or in one national government?
This axis is about where decisions are made, not how much the state does. A strong Federal score means you trust local communities to know their own needs and like the idea of regions testing different policies. A strong Unitary score means you value the same rules for everyone and worry that local rule lets some places treat minorities worse.
Federal
Power should sit as close to people as possible. Regions and towns write many of their own laws, and the national government handles only what they cannot.
Statements that score Federal
- “There is no need for a national government.”
- “Local governments should have more power than they currently do.”
- “Local governments can understand their citizens better than the national government could.”
Unitary
One strong national government keeps laws consistent everywhere, protects every citizen equally and stops regions pulling the country apart.
Statements that score Unitary
- “There is no need for local or state governments.”
- “The national government needs more power.”
- “A country cannot function without a national government.”
In practice
Where it shows up
It shows up whenever a country argues about who decides: regional parliaments and independence referendums, whether schools and hospitals are run nationally or locally, how tax money is shared between rich and poor regions, and whether cities may set their own rules on housing, transport or policing.
A common misunderstanding
Federalism is not only an American idea. Germany, Brazil, India, Switzerland and Argentina are federations, and Spain's autonomous communities hold more power than many federal states. Wanting decisions made locally also says nothing about whether those decisions should be left- or right-wing.
Reading your score
A score near 50% usually means you judge case by case: some things belong to the nation, others to the region. Above 75% toward either end, you have a principle about where power should sit, and you probably hold it even when the other level of government agrees with you.
Historical figures at each end
Where the thinkers and leaders in our figure set stand on this axis.
Result labels
Your score is the percentage toward Federal. The label shown on your result depends on which band it falls in.
- 91-100%Confederal
- 76-90%Federational
- 61-75%Federal
- 40-60%Centrist
- 25-39%Unitary
- 10-24%Centralized
- 0-9%Extremely Centralized
Where do you land on structure?
Take the test to see your score on this axis and the other eleven.
Take the 12 Axes test