Other Forms of Government: Forms and Composition

Government is a system of institutions that use the legal system to maintain authority and punish those who violate the law. Typically, a government assigns tasks to its many organs, each of which is responsible for carrying out certain duties. The three main responsibilities of government are to make laws (legislature), enforce existing laws (executive), and interpret laws (judiciary).

Key Takeaways:

• The way a nation or state organizes its authority and makes decisions is known as its form of government. It outlines who is in charge, how they obtained it, and how they exercised it.
• A government is the structure or individuals in charge of a nation or state. It is the body in charge of making laws, upholding them, preserving the peace, and offering public services.
• The main duties of government are creating laws, upholding them, and resolving conflicts.
• Laws are made by the legislative branch, put into effect by the executive branch, and interpreted and decided upon by the court; i.e., judiciary.
• The arrangement wherein the three branches of a government divide their respective authorities is known as separation of power.

Other Forms of Government

The other forms of government are as follows:

1. Presidential and Parliamentary Form of Government

• Under a parliamentary system, the legislative and executive branches are connected to one another by shared membership and responsibility. In the UK and India, this type of administration is widely used.

• The legislature holds the executive branch accountable for enforcing the law and carrying out its duties in the areas of public health, education, food distribution, defense, and law enforcement.

• Ministerial accountability to the legislature is represented by the principle of collective responsibility, which underpins the operation of parliamentary government. The Council of Ministers operates as a team and a unit under the principle of collective accountability, and it bears collective responsibility for the overall management of government matters.

• Under the presidential form of government, the legislative branch has no influence on the acts or tenure of the executive branch. Garner states that presidential governance is characterized by the chief executive’s independence from the legislature with regard to his term and, to a great extent, his policies.

• Argentina and the United States of America both have this type of government in place. Whether directly or indirectly chosen by the people, the president is in office for a set term of office until the legislature removes him or her through impeachment for reasons outlined in the nation’s Constitution.

2. Unitary and Federal Form of overnment

• A unitary form of government is a form of government where a state consists of a single central government overseeing all of its units and provinces.

• The central government establishes the municipal and provincial governments as its underlings in order to improve management. The local and provincial governments get authority and powers from the federal government.

• Under a unitary government system in which the whole authority of government is vested by the constitution in one or more central organizations, from which local governments draw any authority or autonomy they may have, as well as their very existence, This type of governance is distinguished by the absence of any constitutional separation or allocation of responsibilities between the state’s central government and subordinate local governments.

• The Central Government is in charge of issues pertaining to national importance, such as atomic energy, war and peace, foreign relations, and so on, as stated in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

• State governments have the authority to enact laws pertaining to the issues of regional and local significance specified in the state list.

• The concurrent list includes certain topics on which both the federal and state governments have the authority to enact legislation.

• Even though the Indian Constitution includes federal elements, it does not assert that India is now a federation of states. Instead, India’s government is both federal in nature and unitary in spirit.

Composition of Legislature

• A legislature may be set up as a unicameral or bicameral body. Indian legislatures are a two-chambered system consisting of two houses.

• The Indian Parliament is a bicameral body consisting of the Rajya Sabha, or council of states, and the Lok Sabha, or house of people. The Vidhan Sabha, which is the lower house, and the Vidhan Parishad, which is the upper chamber, make up the legislative body of the States of the Indian Union. Some states, however, only have one house.

• The representatives of all of the citizens residing in the states and union territories of the nation make up the House of People (Lok Sabha). The Rajya Sabha, also known as the Council of States, is made up of additional members nominated by various groups in the fields of social service, literature, science, sports, art, and culture, as well as delegates chosen by the state legislative assemblies.

• The second chamber’s goals and duties include reviewing hurried and careless legislation with the sober counsel of distinguished specialists. Consequently, it becomes feasible to investigate matters from various perspectives and to protect state interests within a federal framework.

• One legislative chamber is implied by a unicameral legislature. This type of legislation is seen in Bangladesh under the House of Nation name, in Turkey under the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, etc. The rationale for this system is that if there isn’t a single legislative body reflecting the interests of the people, there may be delays and disagreements in the enactment of laws.

Difference between Unicameral Legislature and Bicameral Legislature

Basis	Unicameral Legislature	Bicameral Legislature
Meaning	A unicameral legislature is one where there is just one chamber of legislators.	A legislature which consist of two houses is known as a bicameral legislature.
System of Government	Unicameral legislature has unitary system of government.	Bicameral legislature has federal system of government.
Power Sharing	The power is concentrated in a single house; power sharing is an issue in unicameral legislatures	There are two houses where power is concentrated.
Suitability	Smaller states are better suited for a unicameral legislature.	Larger states are more suited for bicameral legislatures
Deadlock	There is a very rare deadlock in unicameral legislatures.	Under a bicameral legislature, deadlocks are common as they involve joint sittings.
Decision on Policies	Since there is only one house, judgments are made quickly.	Since there are two houses, it takes time to decide on bills and policies.

Other Forms of Government- FAQs

Why is the legislature’s bicameral system required?

Bicameral systems of government are essential in countries such as India, where the population is extremely diverse and multifaceted.

Why is bicameral government preferable to unicameral?

Because the bicameral legislative process is more responsible to the people and more transparent to the public than the unicameral legislature, bicameral governments are preferable.

Are there any distinctions between the presidential and parliamentary systems regarding the allocation of power?

Indeed, presidential systems have a separation of powers with separate executive and legislative branches, but parliamentary systems frequently have a fusion of powers with linked executive and legislative branches.

Which unitary government is the most powerful?

In a unitary government, the majority of power and decision-making rest with the central government.

What drawbacks come with having a unitary government?

A unitary form of governance typically causes issues for ethnic communities. There might be several different ethnic groups in a little nation. Since they might not have enough representation in the center, their opinions might not be heard. The central government’s dictatorship may even be made possible by the concentration of power.

Reference:

• Legal Studies- Class XI NCERT
• National Portal of India

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