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  1. 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.

    • Federalism

      The United States and Canada provide examples of the forms...

    • Federation

      A contrast between federation and confederation—words...

    • 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.

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  3. 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 ...

  4. Unitary Government. In a unitary system of government, the central government holds most of the power. 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.

  5. federalism. Political system that organizes government into two or more levels with independent powers; in the United States this consists of local, state, and national governments. federal revenue sharing. The practice of sharing federal income tax revenue with state and local governments. mandate.

  6. Key points. Federalism describes the system of shared governance between national and state governments. The states and the federal government have both exclusive and concurrent powers, which help to explain the negotiation over the balance of power between them. The federal government can encourage the adoption of policies at the state-level ...

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