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The unitary state still has local and regional governmental offices, but these are under the direct control or authority of the central government. The United Kingdom is one example of a unitary nation. Parliament holds the governing power in the U.K., granting power to and removing it from the local governments when it sees fit. France is also ...
federalism. unitary state, a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government, in contrast to a federal state. A brief treatment of the unitary state follows. For additional discussion, see Political system: Unitary nation-states; federation; confederation.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 21, 2023 · 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 ...
- A unitary government has all its authority stored in one central government. While a unitary government might have local offices or authorities, th...
- A unitary government has one central power instead of several levels of authority. Unitary governments are the opposite of federal governments, whi...
- Countries with a unitary system include the United Kingdom, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Countries with much larger regions, such as the United States,...
- The United Kingdom is an example of a unitary system, because the authority for all its subsidiaries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Irelan...
- Examples of Unitary States
- Unitary States vs. Federations
- Unitary States vs. Authoritarian States
- Pros and Cons
Of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, 165 are unitary states. The United Kingdom and France are two well-recognized examples.
The opposite of a unitary state is a federation. A federation is a constitutionally organized union or alliance of partially self-governing states or other regions under a central federal government. Unlike the largely powerless local governments in a unitary state, the states of a federation enjoy some degree of independence in their internal affa...
Unitary states should not be confused with authoritarian states. In an authoritarian state, all governing and political power is vested in a single individual leader or small, elite group of individuals. The leader or leaders of an authoritarian state are not chosen by the people, nor are they constitutionally responsible to the people. Authoritari...
The unitary state is the most common form of government in the world. This system of government has its benefits, but as with all schemes of dividing power between government and the people, it also has drawbacks.
In the unitary system of government, a single central government possesses total control over all political subdivisions. It means that there is no separation of powers between the different branches of government and that the ruler has complete control over everything. In a unitary government, the people have little say in running their country.
Modern democracies divide governmental power in two general ways; some, like the United States, use a combination of both structures. The first and more common mechanism shares power among three branches of government—the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The second, federalism, apportions power between two levels of government ...
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Within a federal system the state or provincial governments share sovereignty with the central government and have final jurisdiction over a broad range of policy areas. Federal and unitary systems are ideal types, representing the endpoints of a continuum. Most countries fall somewhere in between the two extremes—states can be more or less ...
