types of government

types of government

Understanding the Various Types of Government

1. Introduction to Government and Governance

The main components of government are the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches. In common discussion, government is often used to refer to the male visitors and regular dwellers (or not) of a particular building or even to refer specifically to the individuals who hold government office, but the official name of the collective group is, in fact, the government rather than the cabinet. When thinking about the nature of governmental organizations that have existed in different areas of the world across much time (such as a corporation, dynasty, or other private organization), it is helpful to distinguish whether the organization is controlled by one person or a few people (by force, wealth, or the support of others); whether it has the authority to make and enforce laws; and whether it publicly holds the loyalty of its citizens over at least a relatively large geographical area at the same time as it demands that they have an obligation to serve or support it, to the exclusion of other authority structures.

You will recall from your earlier discussions regarding politics that there are different ideologies which are representative of the different political traditions which have been in existence for several centuries or even longer. These beliefs, which concern the distribution of power, are often expressed in the form of various types of government. Every type of government, which also includes the government by parliament, embodies the implicit beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the dynamics of agents and interest groups, the motives behind their decisions, and the consequences of their decision-making for the stability, prosperity, and welfare of a country. When political analysts talk about the “components” of government, they are typically referring to the central institutions involved in making and enforcing collective decisions. They are not usually talking about private sector organizations such as corporations and not-for-profit groups or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

2. Major Types of Government Systems

Autocracy is a system in which the government is under the control of a single person charged with the responsibility of making and enforcing laws without approval from anyone. In an oligarchy, government power is under the control of a select group of people. Autocracy and oligarchy are examples of totalitarian governments that maintain their power by limiting individual freedoms and controlling all aspects of life. The characteristics of totalitarian governments are indicated in the political and economic philosophies, and methods of restriction such as ideology, police terror, reliance on skill, surveillance, and propaganda. Both are basically opposed to the principle of a proxy democracy where the majority of the people are allowed to influence policy formulation through an elected group of people. While both envision forms of control and governance, their style of policy formulation is different.

In the modern-day world, every country has a government in place to establish and implement laws to regulate the actions of the people and institutions in a given society. Consequently, various forms of government exist, which have different ways of influencing policy formulation. These forms of government can be summed up in terms of who makes the decisions and who implements these decisions. According to these attributes, one can group societies into four major types of government systems. The four major categories of government are: 1) autocracy, 2) oligarchy, 3) democracy, and 4) anarchy.

3. Comparison and Analysis of Different Government Types

Legitimacy is the right to rule, or the authority to make decisions. In the context of a government, we often talk about different types of political legitimacy – how a government gains and retains authority to make decisions and establish laws. Many governments assert that their authority is legitimate (that is, legal) because their origins are in glory or divinity, but historical (or, perhaps, imagined) mandates cannot dictate laws or government decisions. Generally, modern authorities derive legitimacy through different principles. Democratic governments express the will of the people and, thus, are often considered the most legitimate. Diverse governments assert that their decisions are more legitimate than some pure form of government because diversity brings about new perspectives and opinions about political issues, which leads to better decisions. Nationalism is the belief that the needs of a country or group are better than the needs of individuals. Nationalist ideas about government and power argue that the government authority is legitimate if it represents ideas or benefits associated with a particular nation and promotes or protects the nation. Monarchies often use their divine right to justify their authority. Finally, theocratic governments argue that their legitimacy derives from the authority and rules of the ruling divine.

We can compare and contrast different government types and political authorities not only using the similarities and differences shown in Table 1, but also through unique attributes associated with each type. Characteristics such as the legitimacy of authority, political participation, and the existence and use of force can be used to further analyze the role and legitimacy of each government type.

4. Challenges and Benefits of Different Government Systems

Totalitarian states. In considering the challenges and benefits of living in totalitarian or authoritarian states, it’s difficult to name any benefits. From the perspective of the country’s citizens or from the perspective of any average person in the world, there are no challenges associated with these types of states, only negatives. However, that doesn’t mean that there are no challenges or benefits. Governments that act brutally toward their citizens are constantly trying to make certain that they stay in power. These rulers must face the challenge of citizens who have no real incentive to show loyalty to their government. Because they generally rule by force, they face the challenge of providing security for themselves from both their own citizens and foreign powers that dislike their type of government.

Constitutional monarchies. As with parliamentary versus presidential systems, it is difficult to compare the benefits or challenges of living under constitutional monarchies with those of living under other governments. Once again, the benefits for the citizens of nations with a constitutional monarchy are largely symbolic. In general, these citizens receive a positive feeling from knowing that the leadership of their government is an established part of the tradition of their nation. However, even this symbol can become a challenge if the monarch shows some tendency toward rocking the political boat. The citizens of Britain would certainly understand the problems associated with this situation, including the never-ending series of debates that have occurred up to the present day about the role of the royal family.