Understand the system of unitary government. Learn the definition of unitary government, and explore its pros and cons. Find examples of unitary government.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Unitary Government | Definition, Characteristics & Examples
Table of Contents
- What is a Unitary Government?
- Unitary Government Examples
- Unitary Government vs. Federal Government
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main features of a unitary government?
A unitary government has all its authority stored in one central government. While a unitary government might have local offices or authorities, these local governments do not share the power of the central authority.
What is the definition of a unitary government?
A unitary government has one central power instead of several levels of authority. Unitary governments are the opposite of federal governments, which share political power between several layers of government.
What countries have a unitary system?
Countries with a unitary system include the United Kingdom, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Countries with much larger regions, such as the United States, usually have federal systems of government.
What is an example of a unitary system?
The United Kingdom is an example of a unitary system, because the authority for all its subsidiaries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) comes from the same central place. While local governments certainly have the authority to enforce the laws, they are limited in what they can do because they are all ruled by the central authority.
Table of Contents
- What is a Unitary Government?
- Unitary Government Examples
- Unitary Government vs. Federal Government
- Lesson Summary
A unitary system of government is a political structure in which one level of government retains the bulk of political power.
Governments divide into two main categories: unitary and federal. While both unitary and federal governments have many levels of government at the national and local levels, unitary governments are unique in the sense that the central government will retain most political power. In a federal government, different levels of government share political authority. Neither form of government is necessarily better than the other; different governments suit different geographic regions best, based on each nation's circumstances and needs.
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Characteristics of a Unitary Government
Unitary governments vary all over the world, but they usually share some common traits.
Unitary governments have one central power that doles out tasks to local institutions but does not share its authority. For instance, if a parliament body in a unitary government decided to form a transportation office in the northern part of its territory to enforce regulations, the nation in question would still have a unitary government because the transportation office would have no authority of its own to pass laws. Its function as a transportation office is completely dependent upon the authority of the central system.
Additionally, governments that have one central authority tend to have flexible constitutions that dictate the function of its one central authority. With all power held in one central authority, unitary governments need to be responsive to their citizens, since local operations do not have any authority of their own and are therefore limited in the amount of change they can initiate at a local level. Any necessary changes or responses to local needs has to come from, or be approved by, the top - and therefore unitary governments need to have the capacity to respond quickly and effectively to local problems or run the risk of managing frustrated citizens.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Unitary Government
Unitary governments excel in some areas and struggle in others, like any other form of government. Some of the pros and cons of unitary government are below.
Advantages
Unitary governments have a clear, central authority. No matter how citizens feel about any given law or policy, everyone understands where the power lies. Unitary governments also usually respond rapidly to crises, since only one layer of government needs to consider any given issue. Finally, unitary governments avoid conflicting legal practices at varying government levels, since they only have one level of government to begin with.
Disadvantages
Unitary governments also struggle in some key ways. Since all legal practices are formed at a central government, local governments have a more difficult time tailoring policies to the needs of specific regions. Even if a policy serves as a perfect solution for one portion of a country, a central authority might be hesitant to legalize the solution because the policy will then apply to the entire nation and not just one region. This problem is also referred to as hyper centralism.
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Some examples of unitary governments include the United Kingdom, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
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The United Kingdom includes four smaller nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The government is made up mostly of Parliament (a legislative body made up of two houses, filled with elected officials). Parliament makes most decisions regarding laws and policies, both domestic and foreign, with the monarch having limited influence. While the UK does have three levels of government (including local government), the lower levels' authority is generally regulated to tax collection and is dependent upon the central authority for any other political power. The central UK government holds authority for all four nations included in the United Kingdom.
Japan also has a unitary government that divides into three branches - the executive, the judicial, and the legislative. The Japanese Emperor holds a mostly representative function but is still an important symbol for Japan. The Japanese government breaks down into many smaller units, including districts, precincts, and towns. While each of these lower bodies maintains order in its own territory, political authority rests with the central government. In other words, authority is not divided between the central government and local governments.
Finally, Saudi Arabia's government is a unitary, Islamic state, meaning that it has one central authority that follows the religious policies of Islam. All legal processes follow Sharia law, especially in its judicial processes. The king of Saudi Arabia acts as the executive, judicial, and legislative leader, and while he consults with lower government leaders (including judges and tribal leaders), all final authority rests with the king. Dissenting parties are currently illegal in the country.
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Both unitary governments and federal governments have more than one level of government - meaning that both will have central and local governmental bodies. The difference lies in whether or not local governments hold any unique authority that the central government cannot control, remove, or enforce.
For instance, in any of the examples listed above, the central governments retain all the authority within the governmental system. While the UK, Japan, and Saudi Arabia certainly have lower levels of government (as almost all governments will), none of them hold any authority that the central government cannot take away or change.
Comparatively, in a federal system such as in the United States, different levels of government retain different powers. The federal government has the power to create national laws, declare war on other countries, and regulate international trade, but the state governments retain many rights as well. In fact, the ninth amendment in the Constitution of the United States specifies that any powers not listed within the Constitution itself are retained by the states. Federal governments are generally associated with larger, more diverse countries that would not be able to manage such varied regions without the advantages of shared political power.
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Unitary systems of government are political structures with only one level of authority. Federal systems have multiple layers of government that share political power, whereas unitary governments have multiple layers of government with the central authority retaining most political control. Unitary governments have advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include maintaining clear authority, responding quickly to crisis, and avoiding legal debate over who has what power. Disadvantages include difficulty addressing local needs, also referred to as hyper centralism. The United Kingdom, Japan, and Saudi Arabia are all examples of a unitary government. The opposite of a unitary government is a federal government, such as the United States.
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Video Transcript
What is a Unitary Government?
One of the most important questions a new society, government, or nation must ask itself is, 'how will we divide power and responsibility?' Federalism, or the relationship between a central (often national) government and its political sub- units (often states, counties, and provinces, etc.) can exist in many different forms. In a unitary government, this relationship is largely one-sided, with the central government enjoying almost complete control over their smaller local government entities. In a unitary system, almost all power and responsibility is vested in the central government. Local governments may only exercise power through the central government.
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Modern Unitary Government
In the modern world, many nations utilize a unitary system of government. For example, in the United Kingdom, supreme political power is held by the Parliament, the legislature of the nation that is located in Great Britain. The other parts of the nation, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, each have their own local governments. However, they cannot make laws that affect the other parts of the nation or refuse to enforce laws made by the Parliament.
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Another place we can observe unitary power is in the state governments of the United States of America. While the United States, as a whole, utilizes a federal system in which power is shared between the states and the national government, the 50 states individually function as a unitary system. Through their state legislature and governor, each state makes laws that affect their citizens. County and city governments in each state may make local laws, but are required to enforce and abide by the rules of their state.
Advantages and Disadvantages
As with any government system, there are advantages and disadvantages in a unitary system. One major advantage of a unitary system is that the responsibilities and powers of government tend to be fairly clear-cut. In times of crisis, a clear division of power often results in more swift reactions and assistance than in a form of government where power is divided between multiple government entities. In a unitary system, laws tend to pass more quickly because they only need to be approved by the central authority. In addition, since only the central authority may make laws, there is very little chance that national and state laws, or in the case of the American states, state and local laws, will be contradictory.
There are some disadvantages that come with a unitary system, such as hypercentralism where reliance on the central government becomes so prominent that local authorities are unable to respond to their constituents needs without the central government. Another danger of this system is that the central government might become detached from the needs of the people. Some political scientists even argue that a unitary system more easily leads to tyranny, because of the large amount of political power vested in the central government.
Lesson Summary
Let's review! In a unitary system, most political power and responsibility belongs to the central government while the smaller, local government units have very little power and are reliant on the central government. Today, the nation of the United Kingdom and the 50 states of the United States, as well as numerous other nations, utilize a unitary system. With a unitary system, citizens can expect a clear division of power with swift responses to a crisis. Unitary systems also have disadvantages, such as hypercentralism, detachment from local needs, and the potential to develop into a tyrannical system of government.
Unitary Government: Points to Remember
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- Unitary government: majority of political power located within central government
- Federalism: relationship between a central government and its sub-sets (states, counties, provinces)
- Federal system: power is shared between the national government and states
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Government power clear-cut | Hypercentralism (overdependence on central government) |
| Faster reaction to emergencies | Detachment from the needs of the people |
| Legislation passes quickly | May lead to tyranny |
Learning Outcomes
After completing this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe what a unitary government looks like
- Identify examples of unitary governments
- Recall the advantages and disadvantages of unitary governments
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Unitary Government | Definition, Characteristics & Examples
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