Essay: Strengths and Weaknesses of Unitary and Federal Systems

This essay provides a comparative analysis of unitary and federal systems of government. It begins by defining the key characteristics of each system, highlighting that unitary systems concentrate power in a central government, while federal systems divide power between a national government and sub-national entities. The essay then delves into the strengths of each system. Unitary systems are presented as more efficient and consistent in policy implementation, while federal systems are lauded for promoting self-government and accommodating regional diversity. Conversely, the essay acknowledges the weaknesses of each system, noting that unitary systems may lead to a lack of regional autonomy and that federal systems can be less efficient and create disparities in rights. The essay concludes by suggesting that both systems have their advantages and disadvantages, making the choice of which system to adopt dependent on the specific context and needs of a nation. The essay uses references to support its arguments.

Running head: UNITARY AND FEDERAL SYSTEM
UNITARY AND FEDERAL SYSTEM
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1UNITARY AND FEDERAL SYSTEM
A country possesses either a federal or a unitary system, based on how a particular
constitution organizes power in between central and the sub national governments. This essay is
going to elaborate on the strengths and weaknesses of the two.
Many of the countries have the unitary system of government. In the unitary system, all
the powers are in the hand of the central government and it gives only those powers it wishes to
give to the other lower governments, which includes states, prefectures, provinces etc. One of the
major strengths of such system is that it is much more efficient that the federal system (Roskin et
al., 2014). For example, in case if the national government wants to execute a health care system,
it does not have the presence of state government trying to act as an obstacle for it in the way of
doing so. The other significant strength of this system is that it is more consistent than the other
(Jeffery et al., 2014). When it makes a rule, it is same for every place. This is not in the case of
federal system, as in this system, one may have a death punishment in one state but may not have
in another. Unlike unitary system, not all the citizen of a country enjoys the same right in a
federal system of government. In federal system, constitution illustrates the power that the
national government and the state governments hold. None of the either government can take the
powers from other level. One of the most significant strength of this system is that enables the
different parts of a nation to perceive that they have more self-government (Howard, 2014). It is
very important, especially in big countries such as U.S. Furthermore, in the unitary system,
everyone has to follow the same law, which sometimes leads to bitterness among the people who
thinks that their opinions are lost out.
Both the unitary and the federal systems have their own strengths and weaknesses and
this makes it hard to figure out which system is the best.

2UNITARY AND FEDERAL SYSTEM
References
Howard Jr, J. W. (2014). Courts of appeals in the federal judicial system: A study of the second,
fifth, and District of Columbia circuits. Princeton University Press.
Jeffery, C., Pamphilis, N. M., Rowe, C., & Turner, E. (2014). Regional policy variation in
Germany: the diversity of living conditions in a ‘unitary federal state’. Journal of
European Public Policy, 21(9), 1350-1366.
Roskin, M. G., Cord, R. L., Medeiros, J. A., & Jones, W. S. (2014). Political science: An
introduction (13th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.