Introduction
Although all federal systems of government shares a three-level government system, consisting of the federal, state/provincial, and local governments, the functions of these governmental levels, particularly that of the local government, can vary widely as adopted in various federations around the world (Steytler, 2005), such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, and South Africa, and as these government are transforming from the nation state into the market state (Treverton, 2005). Nevertheless, the constitutional allocation of powers to the three government levels plays a crucial role in the similarities and differences of their respective functions (Steytler, ...