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Forms of government
Part of the Politics series

List of forms of government

Direct democracy
Representative democracy
Military dictatorship
Absolute monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Empire
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A form of government is a term that refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized in order to exert its powers over a Community politics. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions See also Form of government This article lists forms of government and Political systems according to a series of different ways of categorising them Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union An autocracy is a Form of government in which the Political power is held by a single self-appointed ruler A band society is the simplest form of human Society. A band generally consists of a small kin group no larger than an Extended family or Clan. A chiefdom is a type of complex society of varying degrees of centralization that is led by an individual known as a chief. This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. Communist state is a term used by many Political scientists to describe a Form of government in which the State operates under a one-party system Corporatocracy is a Neologism that describes a Government dominated by corporate influence banks and governments Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Despotism is a Form of government by a single authority either an individual or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute political power A dictatorship is usually defined as an autocratic Form of government in which the Government is ruled by a Dictator. A military dictatorship is a Form of government wherein the political power resides with the Military; it is similar but not identical to a Stratocracy, Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed A kleptocracy (sometimes cleptocracy, occasionally kleptarchy) ( root klepto+kratein = rule by thieves) is a term applied to a Kritarchy is a form of government ruled by judges It may have existed in Israel during the period of time described in the Book of Judges and exist in Somalia under the Meritocracy is a system of a government or another organization wherein Appointments are made and responsibilities are given based on demonstrated talent and Ability A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Absolute monarchy is a monarchical Form of government where the king and queen have absolute power over everything A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is An empire (from the Latin " Imperium " denoting military Command within the ancient Roman government) is a State that Ochlocracy ( Greek: οχλοκρατία or okhlokratía; Latin: ochlocratia) is government by mob or a mass of people Oligarchy' ( Greek, Oligarkhía) is a Form of government where Political power effectively rests with a small elite segment Plutocracy is rule by the wealthy or power provided by wealth A puppet state is a State that is nominally independent but in reality under the control of another power A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Mixed government, also known as a mixed constitution, is a form of government that integrated facets of government by Democracy, Oligarchy, and Monarchy A constitutional Republic is a State where the Head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people and A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a form of a Republic which operates under a Parliamentary system of government The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any A capitalist republic is a concept of government completely the reverse of Marxist thought A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party Technocracy: A form of government in which scientists and technical experts are in control "technocracy is described as that society in which those who govern justify themselves Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler Theodemocracy is a political system theorized by Joseph Smith Jr Constitutional theory defines a timocracy as either a State where only property owners may participate in Government; or a government Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use Institutions are structures and mechanisms of Social order and Cooperation governing the Behavior of a Set of Individuals For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. Community politics is a movement in British politics to re-engage people with political action on a local level [1] Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government". This definition holds valid even if the government is unsuccessful in exerting its power. Regardless of its qualities, a failed government is still a form of government. Churches, corporations, clubs, and other sub-national entities also have "government" forms, but in this article only the organization of states is discussed.

Nineteen states in the world do not explicitly name their government forms in their official names (the official name of Jamaica, for instance, is simply "Jamaica"), but most have an official name which identifies their form of government, or at least the form of government toward which they are striving:

The sometimes utilized name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia emphasizes this nation's separateness from the neighboring Greek region of the same name. The Republic of Macedonia (Република Government ideology is also a common signifier appended to "republic". Besides the Comoros, four other nations specifically dictate that they are Islamic republics. Asian nations influenced by Maoism may emphasize their belief system by specifying the People as a whole in their official names: Laos is a people's democratic republic, and Bangladesh and China are people's republics. Maoism, variably and officially known as Mao Zedong Thought ( is a variant of Marxism derived from the teachings of the late Chinese leader An English Noun The English noun people has two distinct fields of application as a countable noun, a group of Humans Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Vietnam is a socialist republic. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Finally, Tanzania emphasizes the cohesion of its state as a united republic. Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya

A color-coded legend of forms of government. Click on map for descriptions below.

Contents

Attributes of government

Beyond official typologies it is important to think about regime types by looking at the general attributes of the forms of government [2]:

Other empirical and conceptual problems

On the surface, identifying a form of government appears to be easy. The word regime (occasionally spelled " régime " particularly in older texts refers to a set of conditions most often of a Political nature A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin through either biological cultural or historical descent A chiefdom is a type of complex society of varying degrees of centralization that is led by an individual known as a chief. An autocracy is a Form of government in which the Political power is held by a single self-appointed ruler Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union Oligarchy' ( Greek, Oligarkhía) is a Form of government where Political power effectively rests with a small elite segment Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office Direct election is a term describing a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the person persons or political party that they desire to Indirect election is a process in which voters in an Election do not actually choose between candidates for an office but rather elect persons who will then make the choice The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. A secular state is a State or Country that is officially neutral in matters of Religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religious beliefs A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially Religious toleration is the condition of accepting or permitting others' religious beliefs and practices which disagree with one's own Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Absolute monarchy is a monarchical Form of government where the king and queen have absolute power over everything In the Westminster System, there is a majority government when the governing party enjoys an Absolute majority of seats in the Legislature or A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a Cabinet of a parliamentary Government in which several parties cooperate Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes A party system is a concept in comparative Political science concerning the system of government by political parties. Non-partisan democracy (also no-party democracy) is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic Elections A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party A dominant-party system, or one party dominant system, is a Party system where only one Political party can realistically become the Government A two-party system is a form of Party system where two major Political parties dominate voting in nearly all Elections at every A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition Separation of powers, a term ascribed to French Enlightenment Political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, is a model for the Governance In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which A presidential system is a System of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term separately from the Legislature The semi-presidential system is a System of government in which a prime minister and a President are both active participants in the day-to-day administration Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Swiss Federal Council (Schweizerischer Bundesrat Conseil fédéral suisse Consiglio federale svizzero Cussegl federal This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by A rubber stamp, as a political metaphor, refers to a person or institution with De jure considerable formal power but little De facto power one that rarely Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral Tricameralism is the practice of having three legislative or Parliamentary chambers Tetracameralism (Greek tetra, four + Latin camera, chamber is the practice of having four legislative or parliamentary chambers A confederation is a group of empowered states or communities usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A unitary state is a State whose three Organs of state are governed Constitutionally as one single unit with one Constitutionally created A voting system allows voters to choose between options often in an Election where candidates are selected for public office. The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member A majoritarian electoral system is one which is based on a "winner take all" principle The two-round system (also known as the second ballot or runoff voting) is a Voting system used to elect a single winner A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple Majority in order to have The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives In Parliamentary procedure, cloture (ˈkloʊtʃɝ KLO-cher (also called closure, and sometimes a guillotine) is a motion or process aimed at An absolute majority or majority of the entire membership (in American English, a Supermajority Voting requirement is a Voting basis Corporate governance is the set of Processes customs Policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a Corporation is directed administered or controlled An economic system is a System that involves the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services between An ideology is a set of beliefs aims and Ideas especially in politics Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Rhodesia was the name adopted when the formerly British colony of Southern Rhodesia declared itself independent ( Unilateral Declaration of Independence Desegregation is the process of ending Racial segregation, most commonly used in reference to the United States. Most would say that the United States is a democratic republic while the former Soviet Union was a totalitarian state. Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private However, as Kopstein and Lichbach (2005:4) argue, defining regimes is tricky. Defining a form of government is especially problematic when trying to identify those elements that are essential to that form. There appears to be a disparity between being able to identify a form of government and identifying the necessary characteristics of that form. For example, in trying to identify the essential characteristics of a democracy, one might say "elections. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system " However, both citizens of the former Soviet Union and citizens of the United States voted for candidates to public office in their respective states. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The problem with such a comparison is that most people are not likely to accept it because it does not comport with their sense of reality. Since most people are not going to accept an evaluation that makes the former Soviet Union as democratic as the United States, the usefulness of the concept is undermined. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In political science, it has long been a goal to create a typology or taxonomy of polities, as typologies of political systems are not obvious [3]. Polity ( Greek: Πολιτεία or Πολίτευμα transliterated as Politeía or Políteuma) was originally a term used in Ancient Greece It is especially important in the political science fields of comparative politics and international relations. Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems Comparative politics is a subfield of Political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. One important example of a book which attempts to do so is Robert Dahl's Polyarchy (Yale University Press (1971)). Robert Alan Dahl (born 17 December 1915) is the Sterling Professor emeritus of Political science at Yale University. In modern political science the term Polyarchy ( Greek: poly many arkhe rule was introduced by Robert A

One approach is to further elaborate on the nature of the characteristics found within each regime. In the example of the US and the Soviet Union, both did conduct elections, and yet one important difference between these two regimes is that the USSR had a single-party system, with all other parties being outlawed. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party In contrast, the United States effectively has a bipartisan system with political parties being regulated, but not forbidden. In a Two-party system (such as in the United States) bipartisan refers to any bill, act, resolution, or any other action of a A system generally seen as a representative democracy (for instance Canada, India and the United States) may also include measures providing for: a degree of direct democracy in the form of referendums and for deliberative democracy in the form of the extensive processes required for constitutional amendment. Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita Deliberative democracy also sometimes called discursive democracy, is a term used by some political theorists to refer to any system of political decisions based

Another complication is that a number of political systems originate as socio-economic movements and are then carried into governments by specific parties naming themselves after those movements. A political system is a System of Politics and Government. It is usually compared to the Law system, Economic system, Cultural A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral Experience with those movements in power, and the strong ties they may have to particular forms of government, can cause them to be considered as forms of government in themselves. Some examples are as follows:

See also

References

  1. ^ http://assets.cambridge.org/052184/3162/excerpt/0521843162_excerpt.pdf Kopstein and Lichbach, 2005
  2. ^ Regime Types
  3. ^ Lewellen, Ted C. Civics is the study of citizenship and government with particular attention given to the role of citizens― as opposed to external factors― in the operation and oversight of government Comparative government or comparative politics is a method in political science for obtaining evidence of causal effects by comparing the varying Forms of government This is a list of countries categorized by system of Government. See also Form of government This article lists forms of government and Political systems according to a series of different ways of categorising them This is a list of European Union member states, their forms of Government and their Parliaments The European Union is a Sui generis Political Anthropology: An Introduction Third Edition. Praeger Publishers; 3rd edition (November 30, 2003)

Further reading

External links

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