contrast federations with unitary government.
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A unitary state is a state governed as a single entity in which the central government is ultimately supreme. Unitary states stand in contrast with federations, also known as federal states.
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Unitary And Federal Systems
The distinction between unitary and federal states
No modern country can be governed from a single location only. The affairs of municipalities and rural areas must be left to the administration of local governments. Accordingly, all countries have at least two levels of government: central and local. A number of countries also contain a third level of government, which is responsible for the interests of more or less large regions.
The distribution of powers between different levels of government is an important aspect of the constitutional organization of a state. Among states with two levels of government, distinctions can be made on the basis of the greater or lesser autonomy granted to the local level. The British government’s respect for local self-government has always been a characteristic of its constitution. In contrast, France traditionally had kept its local authorities under strict central control. In countries with three levels of government, the distribution of powers between the central and the intermediate governments varies. States formed through the union of formerly independent states usually maintain an intermediate level with considerable legislative, executive, and judicial powers (as in the United States, Argentina, and Switzerland), though some grant few powers to this level. The latter situation occurs often in countries that have introduced the intermediate level as a correction to their previous choice of two levels—as Italy did in its constitution of 1948 and Spain in its constitution of 1978.
Depending on how a constitution organizes power between the central and subnational governments, a country may be said to possess either a unitary or a federal system (see also federalism). In a unitary system the only level of government besides the central is the local or municipal government. Although local governments may enjoy considerable autonomy, their powers are not accorded constitutional status; the central government determines which decisions to “devolve” to the local level and may abolish local governments if it so chooses. In federal systems there is an intermediate level of governmental authority between the central and the local; it usually consists of states or provinces, though other entities (e.g., cantons or republics) may exist in some countries. Aside from the number of levels, the most important distinction between a unitary system and a federal one is that the states or provinces of a federal state have constitutionally protected sovereignty. 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 unitary or more or less federal. So-called “semifederal” countries occupy a middle category, possessing an intermediate level of government that does not have the same protections of sovereignty that the states or provinces of federal states enjoy.
A proper understanding of these types of constitution requires the consideration of additional features of each type. The model federal state is characterized by the existence, at the national level, of a written, rigid constitution guaranteeing the several intermediate governments not only permanence and independence but also a full complement of legislative, executive, and judicial powers. The national constitution enumerates the powers granted to the central government; the remaining powers are reserved to the intermediate governments at the state or provincial level. These subnational entities are generally represented at the national level, possibly on an equal footing, in a second chamber of the national legislature (often called the upper house, or senate). They also often are central to the process of amending the national constitution. For example, some number of state or provincial legislatures may be required to consent to the ratification of amendments passed by the federal legislature. States or provinces in federal systems also have their own constitutions that define the institutions of their respective governments, as well as the powers that are devolved further to their local governments. Such constitutional arrangements are a guarantee against possible efforts of the central government to enlarge its jurisdiction and so imperil the important political role that intermediate governments play in a federal system.