Governments and Government Systems

BPOL 1202

WITH MISS IREEN MAHAME

GPSS
content

 Classification of government
 Government systems
Classifying governments

 Multiple ways of classifying governments

a) Who rules/ who is in charge?
b) How is power distributed?
c) Where is power located?
CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENTS I: WHO
RULES?

 Classification of governments: Aristotle

 Developed by Aristotle (5th century BC) after analyzing constitutions of
Greek city states
 Aristotle’s purpose was to evaluate forms of government on normative
grounds in the hope of identifying the ‘ideal’ constitution
 Government categorized on the basis of: -who rules? -Who benefits from
the rule?
 In each case, government could be conducted in the selfish interests of
rulers or for the benefit of the entire community
 He thus identified the six forms of government
CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENTS I: WHO
RULES?
 Tyranny, oligarchy and democracy were perverted forms in which one
person, a small group and the masses, respectively, governed in their
own interest
 Monarchy, aristocracy and polity were preferred because the individual,
small group, or the masses, respectively, governed in the interest of all
 To Aristotle, tyranny was the worst as it reduced citizens to the status of
slaves
 Monarchy and aristocracy were seen as infeasible because they were
motivated by God-like willingness to place interests of the community
above those of the ruler
 Polity (rule by the many in the interests of all) was accepted as the most
practicable of constitutions
CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENTS I: WHO
RULES?
 Modern classifications of Government
 When people decide to form the social contracts that we call
governments, they make many different decisions about how their
government will look.
 Rule by few or rule by all? Where do the rulers get their power?
Democracy

 Any form of government in which political power is exercised by all

citizens, either directly or through their elected representatives.
 There are two kinds of Democracies
i. Direct
ii. Representative
Direct Democracy

 All citizens participate in government.

 All citizens can create public policy if they want to.
 There are no representatives in government: The citizens vote on
everything!
 All citizens can create public policy if they want to.
 Example: In ancient Athens, Greece, they held assemblies where citizens
voted to pass laws
Representative Democracy

 Representative Democracy, all citizens participate in government

 People elect representatives who vote on laws for the citizens
 Representatives are also usually held accountable by a constitution
 Self assignment; study and make your notes on characteristics, merits
and demerits of democracy
 The citizens have a say in their government by voting in elections.
 Most democracies today are republics, where the people elect leaders to
represent them in the government
Democratic Governments

 There are two predominate forms of democratic governments

 Parliamentary
 Presidential
 Both are designed to represent and protect the rights of the people
Presidential system

i. Citizens usually vote for members of the executive and legislative branch
i. Citizens directly vote for the leader

ii. A single person is elected as the leader

iii. The president is both head of government (chief executive) and head of
state
 the Head of Government in a presidential Government is often directly elected
by the electorate. For this reason, he/she draws legitimacy directly from the
general public
 Heads of Government in a presidential form of Government usually have a
limited term of office that is constitutionally prescribed
Parliamentary system

 Citizens vote for members of the legislative branch, and then the legislature
chooses the leader
 Head of government and head of state are TWO different people
 In a parliamentary system of Government, however, the Head of Government
is normally elected by the Legislature. As a result, the life of his/her
Government depends on the continued confidence that he/she enjoys in
Parliament.
 under a parliamentary system that often have open terms.
 What this means in practice is that it is possible under a parliamentary
system of Government to have a President or Prime Minister who stays in
office for quite a substantial period of time
 Examples: United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia
Parliamentary
. Presidential System
System

Executive  Executive Legislative

Select

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Legislative
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Citizens Citizens

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…

 Self assignment
 Read and make notes on the merits and demerits of both parliamentary
system and presidential system.
Autocracy

 A form of government in which political power is controlled by individual

such as a monarch, dictator, emperor, etc.
 Generally the power to rule is inherited or by military force
 Citizens have little control over the government
 Power is in the hands of one person
 two kinds of autocracy
i. Monarchs
ii. Dictators
Monarchy

 Rule by kings, queens, princes, and princesses

 Leaders usually gain their power because their parents were rulers too.
Constitutional Monarchies

 Monarchies where the two offices (Head of State and Head of

Government) are separated are referred to as constitutional monarchies.
 The UK, Belgium and Denmark are examples of this kind of monarchy.
 Constitutional monarchies are different from absolute monarchies where
the monarch is both the Head of State and Government as is the case in
Swaziland, Brunei, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Morocco
 Kings, queens or emperors share power with elected legislatures.
 Generally the Kings are nothing more than figureheads.
 The government is a democratic one that limits the monarchs power.
Absolute Monarch

 An absolute monarch has enormous power over almost every aspect of

the state including Government.
 The Government machinery is run as if it were the monarch’s personal
estate.
 The people being governed are in effect treated as subjects and not
citizens. That is, they do not have any powers or avenues through which
they can hold the monarch to account
 Examples: France’s King Louis XVI, Spain’s King Ferdinand
Dictatorship

 In a dictatorship, power is not

inherited, but is acquired by force
(military or political)
 Dictators have absolute control
over the lives of their citizens and
usually people are not allowed to
voice their negative opinions
Dictatorship

Examples: Germany’s Hitler, Czar Nicholas II in Russia, Joseph

Stalin in the Soviet Union
other forms of government

i. Theocracy
ii. Anarchy
Theocracy

 “Theo” means “god” in Greek

 so if a government is THEO-cratic that means it is ruled by god or
higher power!
 Leaders (autocratic or oligarchic) are usually religious leaders and
society uses religious law to settle its disputes
 Example: The Islamic Republic of Iran is a modern theocracy that uses
the holy Islamic book, The Qur’an, as its guide
Anarchy

 No government at all
 In an anarchy there is no government to make or enforce laws.
CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENTS II: HOW IS POWER
DISTRIBUTED?
Systems of Government

 A second way to classify government is by determining how power is

distributed
i. Unitary,
ii. Federal
iii. Confederation
Unitary system

 In a unitary system, all political power is concentrated at the central or

national government
 This means that a single central government holds the ultimate
authority and makes decisions for the entire country.
 Local governments have limited or no autonomy
 Laws and policies are generally consistent across the entire country,
which can help in maintaining uniformity.
Examples

 Example: France is a classic example of a unitary state, where the

central government in Paris holds the majority of the power, and local
governments are created and controlled by the central authority.
 the Netherlands, and Spain
Examples

 Examples of Unitary Governments in Southwest Asia: Saudi Arabia,

Turkey, Iran, Jordan
 Africa: Libya, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda
 Southeast Asia: Singapore, China, South Korea, Vietnam
 Most countries in Africa
Federal Government

 In a federal system of government, power is divided between a central

(national) government (federal government) and various regional
governments (such as states or provinces).
 Each level of government has its own set of responsibilities and can
operate independently within its own sphere of authority.
 constitution allocates (gives out) duties, rights and privileges to each
level of government
 The constitution usually defines how power is shared between national,
state and local governments
Federal Government

 Examples: The United States is a federal system where both the federal
government and individual states have their own powers. The federal
government handles national issues, while states manage local matters,
 Germany, Australia
 Asia: United Arab Emirates, India, Australia
 Africa: Nigeria
Confederation

 A confederation is a system of government in which multiple

independent states come together to form a union, but they retain
significant autonomy and sovereignty.
 In this system, the central authority has limited powers, and the
member states retain most of the control over their own affairs.
 Membership is usually voluntary and a country can decide to leave at
any time
Reasons for Forming a Confederation

1. Mutual Defense: To pool resources and coordinate defense efforts

against external threats.
2. Economic Benefits: To facilitate trade and economic cooperation among
member states.
3. Shared Interests: To address common issues that are more effectively
managed collectively rather than individually.
 Features Of Confederation

1. Weak Central Authority: The central government has limited powers and
generally functions as a coordinating body rather than a governing body.
2. Sovereignty of Member States: Member states maintain their
sovereignty and have the power to make their own laws and policies
3. Voluntary Association: Membership in the confederation is usually
voluntary, and states may choose to leave if they wish.
4. Coordination and Cooperation: The central authority typically handles
issues that require coordination among member states, such as defense,
trade, or foreign policy.
Example

 The European Union is sometimes cited as a modern example of a

confederation, as it is a union of sovereign states that retain significant
independence while working together on certain issues.
 African Union
 OPEC –Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
 ASEAN – Association of Southeast Asian Nations .
 United Nations
i. Self assignment; what are the characteristics, advantages and
disadvantages of unitary, federal and confederation governments?
Unitary, federal and confederation
systems of govts
 Unitary systems centralize power in a single national government.
 Federal systems distribute power between national and regional
governments.
 Confederation systems give most of the power to the regional units, with
a weaker central government.(member states maintain significant
independence)
CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENTS III:
WHERE IS POWER LOCATED?
i. Central Government
ii. Local Government
CLASSIFYING GOVERNMENTS III:
WHERE IS POWER LOCATED?
1. Central government assumes overall control of the state
 Usually central governments control foreign affairs, defense, and,
variously, other issues
2. Local Government
 This refers to the tier of government closest to the people, responsible
for providing essential services, infrastructure and governance at the
grassroot level, typically within defined geographic areas such as cities,
towns, municipalities, or districts
The case for central government

a) National unity: articulates nation wide interests and hence need for a
strong central government to pursue communal interests
b) Uniformity: ability to enact uniform laws and pursue uniform services to
the entire country thereby enabling mobility from one part to another.
c) Prosperity: Development and centralization go together and guide the
economy for sustainable growth through taxation policies, currency
management, infrastructure provision (roads railways, airports, and so
on).
The case for decentralization

a) Political education: Local Government provides an avenue for prospective political

leaders to develop skills.
b) Participation and democratization: Local Government provides a way of
spreading political power from the national to the local level, enabling local
communities to have a voice, influence the decision-making process and exercise
control over their representatives and bureaucrats.
c) Accountability: promoted by being closer and more accessible to the population
whom it represents; people are more able to follow the policies and outcomes of
their local leaders than of distant national politicians
d) Legitimacy: decisions made at local government may appear more acceptable
than those at central government far from the grassroots