Devolution: Difference between revisions

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| caption1 = [[Scottish Parliament Building|Holyrood]] (Scottish Parliament)

| image2 = Senedd, Welsh parliament, Cardiff Bay.jpg

| caption2 = [[Senedd building|Senedd]] (Welsh Parliament)

| image3 = StormontGeneral.jpg

| caption3 = [[Parliament Buildings (Northern Ireland)|Stormont]] (Northern Ireland Assembly)

| footer = VariousBuildings of the various institutions established as part of the devolution of power in the UK

}}

In the [[United Kingdom]], devolved government was created for [[Northern Ireland]] in 1921 by the [[Government of Ireland Act 1920]], for [[Wales]] and [[Scotland]] in September 1997 following [[majority|simple majority]] [[referendum]]s, and in [[London]] in May 1998. Between 1998 and 1999, the [[Scottish Parliament]], [[Senedd]] (Welsh Parliament), [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] and [[London Assembly]] were established by law. The [[Campaign for an English Parliament]], which supports [[English devolution]] (i.e. the establishment of a separate English parliament or assembly) was formed in 1998.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

A referendum was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014 which asked citizens whether Scotland should be an independent country.<ref name="BBC 2013-03-21">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16478121|title=Salmond calls for independence referendum in 2014 |date=10 January 2012|work=BBC News|access-date=30 June 2014}}</ref> By a margin of approximately 55 percent to 45 percent, people living in Scotland rejected the proposal.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/events/scotland-decides|title = Scotland votes no to independence|date = September 19, 2014|access-date = September 19, 2014|website = BBC News – Scotland decides|publisher = BBC}}</ref> The leaders of the three largest British political parties pledged on 16 September 2014 a new devolution settlement for Scotland in the event of a No vote, promising to deliver "faster, safer and better change",<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/scottish-independence/scottish-independence-cameron-miliband-and-clegg-sign-devolution-vow-but-scots-sceptical-9736090.html|title=Scottish independence: Cameron, Miliband and Clegg sign devolution|date=2014-09-16|newspaper=The Independent|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-01-13}}</ref> and as a result of this vote and promises made during the referendum campaign, British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] announced plans to devolve additional powers to the Scottish government, the nature of which would be determined by the [[Smith Commission]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/19/scottish-referendum-david-cameron-devolution-revolution|title=Scottish Referendum David Cameron Devolution Revolution|access-date=19 September 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 September 2014}}</ref> These powers were subsequently transferred in the [[Scotland Act 2016]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/11/contents/enacted|title=Scotland Act 2016|publisher=legislation.gov.uk|date=2016|access-date=11 June 2016}}</ref> Following the outcome of the [[United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|Brexit]] vote on 23 June 2016, calls for further devolution have been raised,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36747715|title=Growing calls for federal UK in wake of Brexit vote|last=Taylor|first=Brian|date=2016-07-09|newspaper=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-01-13}}</ref> including differential membership of the [[European single market]] for the devolved areas of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/20/nicola-sturgeon-make-scotlands-place-in-single-market-integral-to-talks|title=Nicola Sturgeon: make Scotland's place in single market 'integral' to talks|last=Brooks|first=Libby|date=2016-12-20|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2017-01-13}}</ref>

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{{see also|State constitution (United States)|Home Rule in the United States|Municipal corporation}}

[[File:Forthallindancasiono2007.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Fort Hall Indian Casino, [[Idaho]]. Gambling is allowed within [[IndigenousNative peoplesAmericans ofin the AmericasUnited States|Native American]] reservation lands while illegal on non-reservation land geographically in the same state.]]

In the United States the federal government and state governments are sovereign. As Native American tribes and the governments they formed pre-date the formation of the United States, their legal position as sovereigns co-exists alongside the individual states and the Federal government. The legal relationships with [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes and their government structures are the jurisdiction of [[United States Congress|Congress]]. This relationship is unique to each of the more than 500 tribes and also involves Internationalinternational Treatiestreaties between various tribes and Spain, Great Britain, and the eventual United States.

Territories are under the direct jurisdiction of Congress. Territorial governments are thus devolved by acts of Congress. Political subdivisions of a state, such as a county or municipality, are a type of devolved government and are defined by individual state constitutions and laws.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

===District of Columbia===

{{Main|District of Columbia home rule}}

In the United States, the [[District of Columbia]] offers an illustration of devolved government. The District is separate from any state, and has its own elected government. In many ways, on a day-to-day basis, it operates much like another state, with its own laws, court system, Department of Motor Vehicles, public university, and so on. However, the governments of the 50 states are reserved a broad range of powers in the [[U.S. Constitution]], and most of their laws cannot be voided by any act of U.S. federal government. The District of Columbia, by contrast, is constitutionally under the sole control of the [[United States Congress]], which created the current District government by statute. Any law passed by the District legislature can be nullified by congressional action, and indeed the District government could be significantly altered or eliminated by a simple majority vote in Congress.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

==List of unitary states with devolution==

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|Presidential republic

|[[Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan]]

|10 autonomous regions, 6667 rayons and 7711 cities

|Autonomous republic: [[Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic|Nakhchivan]]

|-

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|Republic

|[[Provinces of Indonesia]]

|38 provinces, of which 9 have special status

|Provinces with special status:

* [[Aceh]]

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* [[Gagauzia]]

* [[Transnistria]] (''de facto'' an [[independent state]])

|-

|1918

|{{flag|Monaco}}

|Constitutional monarchy

|[[Municipality of Monaco]]

|1 municipality

|

|-

|1989

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|

* [[Vojvodina]]

* [[Kosovo]] &and [[Metohija]] (Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo)

|-

|1978