Answer:In addition to the type, or form of government
that exists in a society, there are other factors
that play a role in the overall function of a
government, including the geographic
distribution of power, and the relationship
between the legislative and executive branch.
Geographic Distribution of Power
In every system of government the power to
govern is located in one or more places
geographically. From this standpoint, three
basic structures exist: unitary, federal, and
confederate.
Unitary Government
A unitary government is often described as a
centralized government. All powers held by the
government belong to a single, central agency.
The central (national) government creates local
units of government for its convenience. Those
local governments have only those powers that
the central government chooses to give them.
Most governments in the word are unitary in
form. Great Britain is a classic example. It has a
single central organization, the Parliament,
holding all of the government’s power. Local
governments exist solely to relieve Parliament
of the tasks that would be difficult or
burdensome to do. Though unlikely, Parliament
could get rid of those agencies of local
government at any time if it wanted to.
Be careful not to confuse a unitary government
with a dictatorship. In the unitary government
all forms of power are held by the central
government, but that government can still
elected by the people, and if so, would only
have the powers that the people allowed it to
have. So, a government could be both unitary
and democratic.
Federal Government
A federal government is one in which the
powers of government are divided between a
central government and several local
governments. An authority superior to both the
central and local governments make this
division of powers on a geographic basis, which
cannot be changed by either the local or
national level alone. Both levels of government
act directly on the behalf of the people through
their own sets of laws, officials, and agencies.
In the United States, for example, the Federal
Government has certain powers, and the 50
individual states have others. This division of
powers is set out in the Constitution. The
Constitution stands above both levels of
government and cannot be changed unless the
people agree to that change.
Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico,
Germany, India, and some 20 other stats also
have federal forms of government today. In the
United States, the term ‘Federal Government’ is
often used to refer to the National Government,
but note that the 50 state governments are
unitary in structure, not federal.
Confederate Government
A confederation is an alliance of independent
states. A central organization, the confederate
government, only handles those matters that
the state assigns to it. Typically, confederate
governments hold limited powers in such fields
as defense and foreign commerce.
Most often, the confederacy has not had the
power to make laws that apply directly to
individuals, at least not without some further
action by the member states. A confederate
structure makes it possible for the several
states to cooperate in matters of common
concern and also retain their separate
identities.
Confederations are very rare in today’s world.
The Confederate States of America (1861-1865)
are one example in past times. A possible
modern example is the European Union (EU),
which is an assembly of 28 nations, mostly in
Europe. Through its institutions, the EU has
established free trade among its members,
launched a common currency (the Euro), and
coordinates the foreign trade and defense
policies of its members. Recently in news,
United Kingdom voted to remove itself, or exit,
from the EU for more independence, a situation which was often referred to as “Brexit”.
Explanation:
