Question

Distinguish between the Unitary and Federal systems of government

Answer 1

Put simply, the difference between a unitary and a federal government is that a unitary government puts its power in one central government while in a federal system the governing power is divided into federal and local governing bodies that connect to the national government.

The Unitary governing system:

• Places its power in one central governing system

• Very little political power exists outside the central government

• The powers of this governing system are uniformly applied throughout

• Many unitary governments are either dictatorships or totalitarian

• France, although Democratic, is governed by a Unitarian body

• Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Barbados, Morocco, and Spain are examples of unitary monarchy government

• China, Afghanistan, Italy, Zambia, and the Ukraine are examples of unitary republic government

The Federal Governing System:

• Distributes power from the national government to local/state governments to adopt laws that are reasonable to the country as a whole and the localities

• Power may be diffused in the federal system

• Multi-national states often have a federal system

Answer 2

Federal system:
1.There are two levels of government i.e one at the central level and the other at the state level.
2. In federal system, a state government has power of its own for which it is not answerable to the central government.
3. There is dual citizenship for one of the country and one of the state. For example: USA, Canada, Russia,etc. But this does not exist in India.

Unitary system:
1. Either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government.
2. In unitary system, the state government does not have powers of its own.
3. Unitary system has a single citizenship.

Examples: Japan, China, Italy,etc.