Association
The term Association, on the other hand, does not evoke the same kind of weighty feeling
abounding out of the word Federation. In fact, it is a term that is used even in smaller circles of
society often referring to formal groups of people or individuals. An Association is defined as an
organization or grouping of people for a common purpose or cause. Social clubs and
societies often have the term Association included in the title of the club or group. If a group of
people share a common interest or purpose and form an organization to carry out such a purpose,
then it is called an Association. Think of Association as being connected to individuals wherein
it is the people who unite to further or achieve a common goal. The term Association lends a
certain formality to the group of people in that it suggests that the group is organized and has
designations and responsibilities in pursuance of a common goal or interest. There is no question
of separate control or a central authority like that of a Federation
Difference between Federation and Association
• A Federation refers to a group of states, organizations or other legal entities.
• An Association, in contrast, refers to a group of people or groups of people uniting for a
common purpose.
• In the case of a Federation, there is a central authority or government that exercises overall
control over the separate entities or states. The separate states uniting under a Federation also
retain control over their internal affairs.
• In an Association, there is no involvement of a central authority or separate states. It comprises
mostly individuals who work together to achieve a common purpose or objective.
• A Federation deals mostly with states, provinces, organizations or legal entities. An
Association involves the union of people as opposed to states or organizations.
UNION
A union simply refers to the action of joining together. In the context of politics, a union is a
political unit that consists of two or more separate units, such as states. A political union is also
known as a state union or a legislative union. Moreover, a union involves a common
government, but no state has more power than the other. In a political union, the individual
constituent entities may have devolution of powers, but they are subordinate to a central
government. Furthermore, the outside world recognizes this union as a separate political entity.
We can categorize unions into different classifications such as incorporating unions, federal
unions, incorporating annexation, federative annexation, or mixed unions. In addition, there are
also supranational and continental unions that promote integration between various nations; for
example, the European Union, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), etc.
Difference between Federation and Union
A union is where states come together to delegate certain powers on to a new body that could be
placed anywhere on the heirarchy of the government and the state, to discuss and work on certain
matters.
A federation is where the central or union authority devolves power to its subordinate members,
which can only be lower in heirarchy to the state or country state.
USA was created as a union, but is today a federation
Confederation
A confederation is a union of States who keep their sovereignty, sometimes adopting a common
Constitution. In other words, a confederation is a loose union of some sovereign states where the
member states retain their sovereign power even after the formation of the confederation. It
means that the member states carry on their sovereign identity and autonomous political and
economic policies even after forming the union.
Thus, in a confederation, states come together, creating a loose (often temporary) union for
matters of political, economic or administrative convenience. The confederating states evolve
some common defence and foreign policy or some other issues of common interest. Therefore, it
is not a new state but a union of different autonomous states for the purpose of a collective
action, often concerning other states.
The member states get together under the umbrella of an organisation for some specific and
temporary purposes. Hence, on fulfilling their objectives, the confederation might dissolve or the
member states can break away from the union.
Moreover, the resolutions passed by the central organisation of the confederation do not concern
the status of law; they are more academic or attempt to address their common objectives. So they
need not be enforced by the court of law in the member states. This is different concerning the
members of a federation.
Difference Between Federation and Confederation
1. Federation is a political entity of regional states or constituents united into a single group with
centralized control while the confederation is a more or less permanent union of sovereign states
according to common interests and political, economic or even administrative convenience.
2. The federal government which governs the member states acts as the central authority of the
federation whereas, in a confederation, the central authority is usually a weak nominal body
appointed by the member states.
3. Federation is a creation of a new state, but the confederation does not create any new state.
4. The member states in a federation lose their sovereignty and are controlled by the central
authority while the member states in a confederation retain their sovereignty even after their
union. This is the main difference between Federation and Confederation.
5. The membership in a federation becomes mandatory while the membership in a confederation
is voluntary to the states. Therefore, the members of a confederation can leave the union at any
time they wish.
6. Federation has a written constitution while confederation does not have a written constitution.
7. The resolutions passed by federations concern the laws made by the federal government, and
the member states bound to obey and enforce them. On the contrary, the resolutions passed by
the Confederation are not of the status of law; they are mostly academic, or joint foreign policy
etc. thus, not binding the member states to enforce them.
8. The extent of the association in a confederation is not as deep as in a federation. In other
words, a federation is a rigid union while confederation is more or less a loose union.
Examples
Some examples of federations are Russia, China, USA, Belgium, Austria, Australia, Germany,
etc. Some examples of Confederation are EU, Indigenous confederations in North America, Old
Swiss Confederacy, Confederation of the Rhine, etc
Consociationalism
(/kənˌsoʊʃiˈeɪʃənəlɪzəm/ kən-SOH-shee-AY-shən-əl-iz-əm) is a form of democratic power
sharing. Political scientists define a consociational state as one which has major internal
divisions along ethnic, religious, or linguistic lines, but which remains stable due to consultation
among the elites of these groups. Consociational states are often contrasted with states
with majoritarian electoral systems.
The goals of consociationalism are governmental stability, the survival of the power-sharing
arrangements, the survival of democracy, and the avoidance of violence. When
consociationalism is organised along religious confessional lines, as in Lebanon, it is known
as confessionalism.
