Factors that Determine Types of Government

During the twentieth century, political scientists have created numerous typologies for classifying political systems and forms of government and there is no consensus on one best or the ideal method because the one chosen depends on the aspect of politics that interests the people most (Leeds, C. A., 1981). Some of the factors are as follow:
• Modernity: Countries of the world differ from one another in terms of per capita income, level of education, technological development, industrialization, urbanization and availability of social infrastructural facilities. However, such factors tend to be highly inter-correlated because a country lacking in one respect is most likely to be less developed in other respects.

• Location of authority: Under a federal system for instance, the powers for making important decisions are shared between the central, the component units and local authorities and in most cases, such are explained by the constitution.

 In a unitary system, the right to make decisions on all political matters rests with the national government while the component units exist at the mercy of the central authority.

• Integration: This refers to the extent to which the state’s apparatus are linked with the activities of individuals and groups in society. In some cases, the exercise of state powers is total while in some other climes, it is liberal or egalitarian. At one end of the spectrum is anarchism or belief in limited or no government, which is a utopian but on the other edge is laissez-fair rule in which the government limits itself to limited obligatory functions that are considered necessary for the survival of the state. 

The next stage involves the ‘mixed economy’ where the government undertakes extensive political and economic functions under the influence of state socialism. At the far end of the spectrum is totalitarianism.

Self-Assessment Exercise (SAE) 3.2
Examine factors determining typologies of government