A major advantage of the unitary system is to tackle the responsibilities and powers based on the government. The unitary system has the capability to tackle such problems. On the other hand, it has a clear cut-throat competition. A unitary form of government is a country run by a single unit of authority and power, also known as the central government. A disadvantage of this single authority of power is their soft image of serving “paternalism” and in this case, they receive a depraved reputation. However, a unitary government system usually has a large number of benefits as compared to disadvantages.
The first advantage is its ability to serve as a uniform nation; in that case, every citizen feels a sense of belonging and unity. Also, it inspires uniformity among the different states of the nations and enhances the patriotism present in the people. On the other hand, certain laws and policies span the entire nation; hence, there is no requirement to disdain a state for having increased freedom and liberties compared to other states. The central form of government shows unity and a sense of equality.
The second advantage is the ability of the unitary government to absorb everything on a large scale, as everything occurs on a large scale. There is only one branch of power in unitary government, and there is no need to go through lengthy processes to be put into effect. This favorable aspect of the unitary government is extremely important to the states and the affairs of the entire country. The third advantage is that the management of economies occurs in this unitary form of government. All the laws pertaining to different issues, and taxes span the entire nation, and managing fluctuation is easier in the unitary form of government. Overall, the laws and policies are applied to all the states, so there is also no inequality (Pennock, 1959).
From the perspective of the unitary form of government, taxes also go to more effective and efficient use. There are no duplications of any services in the central government. Usually, federal services are accessible, and local government efforts are also present for similar services. The taxpayers don’t waste any money on extra taxes. Moreover, there are no local forms of government underneath the establishment of the unitary form of government, and this is why taxpayers’ money is spent rightly on the appropriate services. Another advantage is that local branches are available and possible in the unitary government. The unitary form is highly flexible in nature, making it effective and efficient in the country’s favor.
On the other hand, the disadvantage is that easily falls out of touch. The power divided into the unitary government is usually centralized; therefore, most citizens do not complain about governmental affairs. This can cause conflict between the people of the country and the government of the country, this is why unitary government can result in disappointment.
Also, it is found that a unitary form of government usually responds slowly in solving the country’s local issues. Since there is only one avenue to travel, smaller issues are usually neglected, and they rarely find a resolution. They may receive the government’s attention but will easily fall out of their minds due to their less importance.
Some people are just opposed to the idea of a “glorified” dictatorship and it especially happens in the case of a larger dictatorship or the unitary government. Hence, the single power unit can easily lead the citizens to feel exploited by the government for their benefit. There are also no checks and balances done in the single unit of government which may lead to disaster. Hence, according to the disadvantages studied, common ground can be found: a lack of association between the people and the government. Hence, the people need to be completely satisfied with the governmental affairs run in the country, and how governments are run.
I have personally always supported in favor of decentralization of the government. According to the personal viewpoint, decentralization keeps the citizens and the government closer; therefore, the diversification of activities in the government, or international trade becomes easy. For instance, decentralized government works so that Washington D.C. or New York does not know what is happening in the government of Alabama. It works best for the people, and may not work entirely in the favor of the government. Hence, it is an advantage for the people and a disadvantage for the government. The federal and decentralized governments work better than the unitary form of government. Decentralized has all the factors of a unitary form of government, but it works in the favor of the people. I personally prefer the decentralization of the government (Fesler, 1965).
Conclusion
The paper has successfully discussed the different advantages and disadvantages of both unitary forms of government as well as decentralized government. It is found that a unitary form of government is a country that is run by a single unit of authority and power, and it is also known as the central government. A disadvantage of this single authority of power is their soft image of serving “paternalism” and in this case, they receive a depraved reputation. However, a unitary government system usually has a large number of benefits as compared to disadvantages. It works best for the government, while decentralization in simple words works best for the country’s people. The government’s goal must be to serve the country’s people.
References
Fesler, J. W. (1965). Approaches to the Understanding of Decentralization. The Journal of Politics, 27(3), 536-566.
Pennock, J. R. (1959). Federal and unitary government—disharmony and frustration. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 4(2), 147-157.
