Editing Devolution (section)

{{short description|Granting of some competences of central government to local government}}
{{About|the form of government|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Devolved parliament|the painting|Devolved Parliament (Banksy){{!}}''Devolved Parliament'' (Banksy)}}
{{See also|Subsidiarity|Subsidiarity (European Union)}}
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{{More citations needed|article|date=May 2008}} 
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{{Basic Forms of government}}
[[File:Plenum vid BSPC 19 i Mariehamn pa aland.jpg|thumb|The [[Parliament of Åland]]]]
'''Devolution''' is the [[statutory]] delegation of powers from the [[central government]] of a [[sovereign state]] to govern at a [[administrative division|subnational]] level, such as a regional or [[local government|local]] level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/articles/art20130702112133671|title=What is devolution?|website=BBC Academy|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref> It is a form of administrative [[decentralization]]. Devolved territories have the power to make [[legislation]] relevant to the area, thus granting them a higher level of [[Autonomous administrative division|autonomy]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/first_time_voter/8589835.stm|title=Devolution: A beginner's guide|date=2010-04-29|access-date=2019-02-22|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Devolution differs from [[federalism]] in that the devolved powers of the subnational authority may be temporary and are reversible, ultimately residing with the central government. Thus, the state remains ''[[de jure]]'' [[unitary state|unitary]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/devolution-manchester-george-osborne-powers-cities-bill-northern-powerhouse|title=Devolution: what is it and what powers would cities get?|website=Channel 4 News|date=14 May 2015|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref> [[Legislation]] creating devolved [[parliament]]s or [[Deliberative assembly|assemblies]] can be [[repeal]]ed or amended by central government in the same way as any statute. In [[federal system]]s, by contrast, sub-unit government is guaranteed in the [[constitution]], so the powers of the sub-units cannot be withdrawn unilaterally by the central government (i.e. not without the process of constitutional amendment). The sub-units therefore have a lower degree of protection under devolution than under [[federalism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publiclawforeveryone.com/2014/01/08/devolution-federalism-and-a-new-constitution-for-the-uk/|title=Devolution, federalism and a new constitution for the UK|date=2014-01-08|website=Public Law for Everyone|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>