What is the importance and value of centralized government?

Question

What can a centralized government do that an "uncentralized" government (like that of the United States under the Articles of Confederation) cannot do, concerning trade, taxes, defense, and the enforcement of laws? Contrariwise, what advantages does a decentralized government have over a centralized government?

Answer 1

In a central government the federal government has more power than the state government, and in a decentralized government, states hold more power.

After the revolution, many founding fathers feared a strong central government, so when they wrote the Articles of Confederation, they made sure the states had more power. Unfortunately, under the AOC the federal government had so little power, it couldn't run. For example, the federal government could not collect taxes, and so the country couldn't pay off its debt from the war. They also couldn't regulate trade between the states or enforce any laws. The AOC gave the legislative branch (the only branch created) the power to make laws, but not enforce them. Many states chose to ignore those laws as a result. Any changes to the AOC required all 13 states to agree as well