forms of government (merits and demerits)

FORMS OF GOVERNMENTBASED ON POWER & AUTHORITY DISTRIBUTION

BY MANISH SHIVALEEmail id:- manishshivalerockstar@gmail.com

UNITARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT

The government will have a strong central government but weak or non existent regional governments.

UK, Cuba, Belgium, France etc.

• UNITARY GOVERNMENT- Leaders can be a King, Prime Minister,or President

it really doesn't matter who the leader of the country is; what matters, is that the national level of the government has power and runs the country.

a unitary system can be autocratic, oligarchic or democratic. so, depending on the type of government that is in place, citizen may play a larger role in the country's politics.

• example 1.UNITED KINGDOM.• the UK is a unitary parliamentary

democracy,citizens vote for members of parliament. • parliament members then select from themselves

who the prime minister will be.• the national parliament runs the country, and the

local governments have ver little power.

• example 2.CUBA. • it is a unitary communist government a communist

government the citizens don't have a say in how the country is run.

• but again, the national governments runs the country and local governments do not have much power.

MERITS

• strong, stable, all powerful government.

• single uniform administration for whole of the state.

• simple and less expensive system.

• flexible to changing social needs and environment.

• suitable for small states.• suitable for meeting

emergencies.

DEMERITS

• Fear of central dictatorship and despotism.

• behaves inefficiently when overburdened with all work.

• ignores the local needs when fully involved in central issues.

• unsuitable for big states.• more dependent on

Bureaucracy.• less chances for popular

participation in the working of government.

FEDERAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT

• divide power between the central / national government and the local / regional government of smaller areas.

• a lot of power is given to local governments to handle local affairs.

• central government handles issues that concern the entire country such as military affairs.

• the U.S , Mexico, India etc.

FEDERALISM

• it can be seen as compromise between the extreme concentration of power and a loose confederation of independent states for governing a variety of people usually in a large expanse of territory.

• it has the virtue of retaining local pride, traditions and power .

• the basic principle of American federalism is fixed in the tenth amendement to the constitution

UNITED STATES AS A FEDERAL GOV'T

MERITS

• Reconciliation of local autonomy with national unity.

• Division of powers between the centre and states leads to administrative efficiency.

• Gives rise to big states.• Distribution of powers checks

the despotism of the central government.

• Advantageous to the smaller states.

• Good for economic and cultural progress.

DEMERITS

• Lack of uniformity in administration.• Distribution of powers leads to many

conflicts.• Double citizenship.• Sometimes state governments place

hindrance to foreign policy of the centre.

• Constitution, being rigid, cannot be adjusted to the fast changing conditions.

• Provincial tendencies are very acute.

UNITARY VS FEDERAL

Points of Distinction

Unitary Federal

Distribution of Powers

No constitutionaldivision of powersbetween the centreand the states.

Division of powers is specified inthe constitution.

Constitutional Status

The provinces act asagents of the centre.

The centre and states have equalstatus.

Position of Judiciary

The position of theSupreme Court is notso important

The Supreme Court decides the disputes between the centre and the states.

Citizenship Single citizenship. Generally there is dual citizenship.

UNITARY VS FEDERAL

Points of Distinction

Unitary Federal

Law Citizens have tofollows laws of onlyone authority.

Citizens have to follow doublelaws.

Dual and Single Polity

Single set of authority Separate cabinets andlegislatures in the centre and inthe provinces.

Amendments in the Constitution

Amendments processis not that muchdifficult.

Amendments process is muchdifficult.

Alternation in the Boundaries

Parliament has theabsolute right ofaltering the boundaries.

No right to make alteration inthe boundaries.

FORMS OF GOVERNMENTBASED ON DEMoCRACy

PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

• A democratic form of government in which the people vote for those who represent the political party they feel best represents their views of how the government should operate

• Parliament, the legislature the people elect, makes and enforces the laws of the country.

• The leader is often called a prime minister (or premier), and the prime minister is a member of parliament.

• The prime minister is usually chosen by the political party that wins a majority of representatives (or seats) in the parliament. (In some parliaments there are so many political parties represented that none hold a majority. Parliament members must decide among themselves whom to elect as prime minister.)

• The prime minister is the head of the government.

• The prime minister leads the executive branch of the government and must answer directly to the parliament for the actions taken and the policies recommended.

• In many parliamentary democracies, a head of state like a queen, king, or president is the head of state but is basically a ceremonial leader

• A prime minister holds power for the term of office set by a country’s constitution.

• A prime minister leads the work done by the parliament, and the Prime Minister is helped by his cabinet, a group of advisors.

• A prime minister may be voted out of office before his or her term runs out if the party he or she leads begins to lose power. (New elections may be held before the prime minister’s term of office is over.)

PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM

• A democratic form of government in which a president is chosen to be the leader

• The executive branch exists separately from the legislature (to which it is generally not accountable).

• A president, or chief executive, is chosen separately from the legislature.

• A president is in a separate branch of the government.

• The legislature passes the laws, and the president sees that the laws are enforced.

• The president holds power separately from the legislature, but the president does not have the power to dismiss the legislature or force them to make specific laws.

• The president is the official head of government.

• The legislature does not have the power to dismiss the president, except in severe cases. (Example: when the president has broken a law)

• The president is both the head of state and the head of the government.