Konstytucyjna zasada federalizmu we współczesnych ustrojach państwowych
The constitutional principle of federalism in contemporary governmental systems

Summary/Abstract: From constitutional point of view federalism can be described as a form of governmental system. There are then certain prerequisites that are required from the federal constitution as a fundamental law of the federation. It should divide legislative authority between separate orders of government; guarantee political and institutional autonomy of the constituent parts of which federation is composed; allow them to participate in federal decision -making process; require consent of both federal government and member states of the federation at least for its major alterations and finally set a conflict resolution procedure should they occur between federal government and member states. The article discusses different manners in which contemporary federal constitutions attempt to meet these criteria. It shows that although there are some similarities among them, the overall degree of resemblance is relatively small. This observation, based on the study of numerous federal constitutions, leads to conclusion that in terms of constitutional rules and forms federalism presents extreme variety and proves to be a very flexible form of governmental system.

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