Federalism concerns the levels of government and involves questions about the allocation of

legislative power, fiscal responsibilities and policy coordination. Rights concern the arms of
government and involve questions about the separation of powers and rights-based judicial
review.
To the extent that the two topics are connected, the advantage of federal arrangement on
protection of human rights is;-Federalism protects rights by preventing the accumulation of
power in a single government. Federalism expands the process of legislative deliberations on
rights through the admission of additional participants and perspectives, thus creating new
patterns of discourse. The federal government’s large size would reduce the possibility of any
single group, or faction, seizing the reins of power and using the state to oppress others.
Federalism can provide individuals with choice, allowing them to move jurisdictions in the
pursuit of dignity, equality and liberty. Decentralized political structures provide sites where
‘elected representatives are ... more immediately accountable to individuals and their
concerns, government is brought closer to the people, and democratic ideals are more fully
realized’ greater accountability enhances the ability of voters to monitor and control
government, thereby protecting against the imposition of inadvertent, unnecessary and
disproportionate restrictions on rights. Providing room for innovation and differentiation is
especially helpful in the context of rights given that measures for recognizing and protecting
rights often involve complex, contested matters of economic, political and social policy.