4.7 Forms of Governance

7 min read•june 18, 2024

Riya Patel

Amanda DoAmaral

AP Human Geography 🚜

320 resources

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Introduction

Governance refers to the process of decision-making and the exercise of authority in the management of a community or organization. There are many different forms of governance, and the specific form of governance that is used can vary depending on the context and the needs of the community or organization.

Here are a few examples of different forms of governance:

Democracy: Democracy is a form of governance in which the people have a say in the decisions that affect their lives, either directly or through elected representatives. There are different types of democracies, including direct democracy, where the people make decisions directly, and representative democracy, where the people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
Autocracy: Autocracy is a form of governance in which one person or group holds absolute power and makes all the decisions without any input from the people. Autocracy can take many forms, including monarchy, dictatorship, and totalitarianism.
Oligarchy: Oligarchy is a form of governance in which a small group of people holds power and makes decisions for the community or organization. This small group may be based on a common characteristic, such as wealth, race, or gender, and may not be representative of the broader community.
Federalism: Federalism is a form of governance in which power is divided between a central government and regional or state governments. Under federalism, the central government and the regional governments have distinct spheres of authority and are responsible for different aspects of governance.
Anarchy: Anarchy is a form of governance in which there is no central authority or government and decisions are made through voluntary cooperation and mutual aid. Anarchy is based on the idea that people are capable of organizing their own affairs without the need for a centralized authority.

States are governed through different political philosophies and on varied ends of the political spectrum, but the structure of governance can be divided into two main groups.

Federal vs Unitary

A federal system is where power is shared between the central government and state or local governments, like the United States and Germany. In the US, we have a federal government that includes the three branches of the executive, legislative, and judicial wings. The federal government has broad powers, but there are also many powers reserved for the state governments, which also have their own three branches.

In a federal system, the local governments often control things like education or other cultural matters. Many federal states are large and multinational, so local power helps balance the needs of the people with the federal government there to offer larger protections and international relations.

Examples

Here are a few examples of countries that have a federal system of governance:

United States: The United States has a federal system of government in which power is divided between the federal government and the state governments. The federal government is responsible for issues such as national defense, foreign policy, and regulation of interstate commerce, while the state governments are responsible for issues such as education, health care, and public safety.
Canada: Canada is a federal state with a parliamentary system of government. The federal government is responsible for issues such as foreign affairs, national defense, and the regulation of trade, while the provinces are responsible for issues such as health care, education, and natural resources.
Australia: Australia is a federal state with a parliamentary system of government. The federal government is responsible for issues such as defense, foreign affairs, and immigration, while the states are responsible for issues such as education, health care, and public safety.
India: India is a federal state with a parliamentary system of government. The federal government is responsible for issues such as defense, foreign affairs, and the regulation of trade, while the states are responsible for issues such as education, health care, and public safety.
Brazil: Brazil is a federal state with a presidential system of government. The federal government is responsible for issues such as foreign affairs, defense, and the regulation of trade, while the states are responsible for issues such as education, health care, and public safety.

A unitary system is where power is held primarily by the central government without much power given to local governments, like in France and China. In a unitary system, the central government controls nearly all of the state matters. Local governments are usually just an extension of the central government without much power of their own.

Unitary states can be either democratic or undemocratic. For example, China is a unitary state that is more authoritarian than democratic and the central government holds all of the power. France, on the other hand, is a democratic country, but local governments have very little power in decision making.

Examples

Here are a few examples of countries that have a unitary system of governance:

United Kingdom: The United Kingdom is a unitary state with a parliamentary system of government. In the UK, power is centralized in the national government, which is responsible for making decisions for the entire country. The devolved governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have limited powers and are responsible for issues such as education, health care, and public safety within their respective regions.
France: France is a unitary state with a presidential system of government. In France, power is centralized in the national government, which is responsible for making decisions for the entire country. The regional governments of France have limited powers and are responsible for issues such as economic development and cultural affairs within their respective regions.
Japan: Japan is a unitary state with a parliamentary system of government. In Japan, power is centralized in the national government, which is responsible for making decisions for the entire country. The prefectural governments of Japan have limited powers and are responsible for issues such as education, health care, and public safety within their respective regions.
China: China is a unitary state with a communist system of government. In China, power is centralized in the national government, which is responsible for making decisions for the entire country. The local governments of China have limited powers and are responsible for implementing the policies of the national government within their respective regions.
Singapore: Singapore is a unitary state with a parliamentary system of government. In Singapore, power is centralized in the national government, which is responsible for making decisions for the entire country. The local governments of Singapore have limited powers and are responsible for issues such as urban planning, waste management, and public health within their respective regions.

Shapes of States

Related to the forms of government is the shape of states, or morphology. The physical shapes matter because it can bring about challenges in governing as people are distributed in different ways.

🎥 Watch: AP HUG - Shapes of States

Type	Characteristics
Compact	Round, distance from center similar everywhere Efficient trade, travel, and communication from city center
Elongated	Isolation at the ends Difficult travel & communication Challenging to defend
Prorupted	Compact + an extension Limited access, possible disruptions
Perforated	State has another state in it Land-locked state is dependent on surrounding state

Compact states are where the distance from any boundary to the center is about the same distance. Some examples are Poland and Romania. Elongated states are stretched out and face difficulties to travel/communication. Some examples are Chile and Norway. Prorupted states are relatively compact and have an extension. Examples include Thailand and India. Perforated states have another state completely within its boundaries. For example, South Africa surrounds Lesotho and Italy surrounds Vatican City.

Globalization

The world has become WAY more connected in the last century because of technology, global markets, and political influence. Globalization, or increased global trade, connections, and interactions, can challenge state sovereignty. Freer trade has decreased the importance of political borders. Globalization has also allowed ideas to spread fast, which leads to more independence movements, such as the Arab Spring, a pro-democracy movement that started out as small demonstrations but quickly escalated to region wide disturbance due to social media.

Supranationalism is when multiple countries form an organization to mutually benefit all member countries. Some common examples are the UN, NATO, NAFTA, and the EU.

Review supranationalism with Dustin Fowler

Economic supranationalism is fundamentally the same thing, except it is geared towards economic benefit and trade. Some examples are the WTO, ASEAN, and OPEC.

Transnational companies span across countries, thus weakening state sovereignty. These include Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple. Economic supranationals can help revitalize a state's economy if a transnational decides to relocate production to a different state. Military & strategic supranationalism occurs when states work together as mutual defense allies. Some of these cross-country pacts are NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Supranationalism has an impact on the environment and introduces challenges to states, transnationals, and supranationals. Transnational corporations are responsible for polluting the air, water, and soil of the developing countries where their factories are located. Eventually, this pollution and climate change will need a solution that includes every country.

🎥 Watch: AP HUG - Supranationalism

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