UNITARY FORM OF

GOVERNMENT
[Document subtitle]

SUBMITTED TO – Prof. Sarabjit Kaur

SUBMITTED BY- Niyati Gupta
ROLL NO.- 85/20
B.A.LL.B. (1st SEMESTER)

MARCH 3, 2021
 CONTENTS OF THE PROJECT

S.No. TOPIC PAGE No.

1 Introduction 2

2 Features of unitary 3
government

3 Merits of unitary government 4

4 Demerits of unitary 5
government

5 Unitary vs federal state 6-7

6 Unitary features of Indian 8-9

constitution

7 Case study 10

8 Conclusion 11

9 Bibliography 12

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 INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS A UNITARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT?

A unitary system of government is a sovereign state governing as

a single unit. In this type of government, all the powers are
accumulated at the centre which is considered to be supreme.
Under such form of government, there is no constitutional
division of powers. In simpler words, there is an absence of
subsidiary sovereign bodies and all the jobs are done by the
centre itself.

According to Dr. FINER, ‘this form is one in which all the

authority and power are lodged in a single centre whose will and
agents are legally omnipotent over the whole area.’
Garner defines unitary government as, ‘that government where
the whole power of government is conferred by the constitution
upon a single central organ’
Unitary states stand in contrast with federations as there are no
political subdivisions. In a unitary state, the national
government has total authority over all of the country’s other
political subdivisions.

In a unitary state the central government may delegate some

powers and form subsidiary law-making bodies. It must be noted
that these subsidiary bodies cannot work as sovereign bodies and
have to follow the rules made by the centre. The centre has the
right by law to withdraw or modify the delegated powers from
the subsidiaries whenever they feel so.

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 FEATURES OF UNITARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT:

C.F. STRONG mentions two important qualities of the Unitary

Government. They are: -

1. The supremacy of the central government

Under a unitary constitution the powers are organised
under a ‘single central government’. certain powers may be
delegated to subdivisions for the sake of administrative
convenience.

2. The absence of the subsidiary sovereign bodies

The central legislation may allow local or regional bodies to
exercise some authority. But with the condition that it may
be withdrawn or modified as per the centre’s convenience.

In addition to the abovementioned qualities mentioned by C. F.

STRONG, the following are distinct features of unitary form of
government:

1. Written or unwritten constitution

A unitary government may or may not have a written
constitution. As for example, England and France are
unitary states. France has a written constitution but
England has none

2. Rigid or flexible constitution

A unitary government may or may not have a rigid
constitution as compared to a federal state. For example,
England’s constitution is flexible whereas France’s is
slightly rigid.

3. No special judiciary required

There is no need for a special judiciary in case of unitary
form of government.

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 MERITS OF A UNITARY GOVERNMENT:

A unitary government has many advantages, some of them are

as follows:

1. Efficient Administration
Due to centralisation of powers, there is a minimal chance
of conflicts between the state and the central level of
government. Therefore, the administration of the country
becomes efficient and there are less delays in the
administrational works. This type of government works
best in case of crisis as the decisions are taken promptly.

2. Most suited for small countries

It establishes organisation and unity after ending all
differences. Also, one parliament and judiciary cause less
expense. Thus, this form is well suited for small countries.

3. Single citizenship
There is single citizenship which implies that every citizen
is the citizen of the entire country and there is no separate
citizenship for the state. Therefore, any citizen can purchase
property or adopt any profession in any part of the country
without any restriction.

4. Administrative uniformity
There is no concept of dual government in a unitary state
i.e., there is only one cabinet and one parliament and all the
provinces have to follow the central orders. Thus, there is
uniformity of laws, policy and administration in the whole
country.

5. Follows a vigorous home and foreign policy

In a unitary form of government, a vigorous home and
foreign policy can be followed without any hinderance from
local governments.

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 DEMERITS OF A UNITARY GOVERNMENT:

1. More influence of government officials

In this form the government provinces and local
administrations are run by government officials and not by
the representatives chosen by the people. This leads to
minimum participation from local people and their
representatives in the politics also causing lack of political
and social knowledge among them.

2. The centre becomes overburdened with work

Many important tasks get ignored due to considerable
increase in responsibilities on the centre because of
minimal division of powers. Also, this creates a lack of local
autonomy as the centre has no time to devote to local
matters of the country. Thus, people take no interest in local
matters.

3. Tendency of flourishment of absolutism

Under this form, there is a constant apprehension of the
central government becoming despotic. This accumulation
of powers can also lead to emergence of dictatorship and
exploitation of the citizens.

4. Not suitable for big states

For big states and countries like India, the USSR, the USA
this form is not a suitable option due to cultural variations
and differences which require different legislatures for
satisfaction of varied elements.

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 UNITARY VS FEDERAL STATE

Governments may be classified into unitary and federal in terms

of method by which the powers of government are distributed
between the government of the whole country and any local
government.

S.No. BASIS UNITARY STATE FEDERAL STATE

1. Meaning A unitary state is a A federal state is a state
state in which all the which is comes into
powers are existence by merging
concentrated in the together of two or more
hands of the centre, states.
making it supreme.
2. Flexibility in Under this state, the Under this state, the
constitution constitution may or constitution is rigid any
may not be flexible. laws cannot be easily
modified.
3. Division of Under a unitary Under a federal state,
powers state, there is no the powers must be
division of powers as divided among the state
all the powers are and centre by the
held with the centre. constitution itself.
4. Citizenship Under this state, Under this state, there
people enjoy the is double citizenship
perks of single i.e., different
citizenship thus citizenship for centre
allowing purchase of and state.
property etc all over
the country.
5. Written A unitary state may A federation must have
constitution or may not have a a written constitution
written constitution. so that the powers of

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 the government are
clearly classified.
6. Local Under this state Due to proper division
Autonomy there is a lack of of powers, there is local
autonomy and local autonomy and proper
matters are attention is paid to all
overlooked. local matters.
7. Efficiency and Due to centralisation Under this state, there
uniformity of of powers, there is is a lack of uniformity
administration proper efficiency and in the administration.
uniformity in
administration.
8. Prompt Under this state, the Under this state, the
decision decisions are taken decisions are usually
making promptly as the delayed due to
centre has to take all decentralisation of
the decisions. powers.
9. Risk of As the powers are Due to division of
conflicts held in the hands of powers, there is high
the centre, the probability for conflicts
probability of between the central and
conflicts between the the state government.
centre and the local
government is low.
10. National Under this state, the Under this state, the
integrity national state government is
unity/integrity is allowed to secede which
fostered. may hamper the
integrity of the country.
11. Examples The United The United States,
Kingdom, France, Nigeria, Russia
Italy

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 UNITARY FEATURES OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION

The Constitution has been modified with incorporation of

certain non-federal features in the Constitution as well. some of
them are as following:

1. Single Citizenship:
The Indian federation is a dual polity with a single
citizenship for the whole of India. There is no State
citizenship. Thus, every Indian has the same rights of
citizenship, no matter in which State he resides.

2. A Strong Centre:
Even though the State government in India has enumerated
powers but the powers are limited. Under certain
circumstances, the Union government may have power
over the state government and residuary power over the
whole territory.

3. Unitary in Emergencies:
In times of emergency, The Indian Constitution is designed
to work as a unitary government. Under the Constitution,
the President of the country has been given emergency
powers. An emergency can arise both in the political and
financial fields.

4. Common All-India Services:

The Constitution has certain special provisions to ensure
that there is a uniformity of the administrative system in the
country without impairing the federal system. These
include the creation of All-India Services, such as the postal
and Police Services.

5. Control over State Laws:

Certain laws passed by the State Legislature cannot come
into operation unless they have been reserved for the
approval of the President of India. Thus, all the laws

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 concerning the acquisition of property, the laws concerning
the sales-tax on essential commodities, etc. need the
approval of the Central Government.

6. Flexible Constitution:
Many parts of the Constitution can be easily amended.
Thus, making it flexible.

7. Appointment of governor and high court judge by the

president
The Heads of the State—the Governor and the judge of the
high court are appointed by the President. This enables the
Union Government to exercise control over the State
administration.

Thus, from the above features it can be noted that the makers of
the Indian constitution have tried to incorporate the advantages
of a unitary form of government for proper and efficient
administration.

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This concept is substantiated in the following paragraphs in the
form of a CASE STUDY:

The United Kingdom decided to follow the unitary state model

instead of adopting a federal model, such as that of the United
States. The United Kingdom continued to employ a system
of devolution, in which political power is
gradually decentralized. The United Kingdom is a parliamentary
democracy with a constitutional monarch. A king or queen is the
head of state, and a prime minister is the head of
government. The United Kingdom does not have a ‘single written
constitution’. Instead of being one formal document it has been
formed from various sources including case laws made by judges.
While the other countries within the UK each have their own
governments, they cannot enact laws that affect any other part of
the UK, nor can they refuse to enforce a law enacted by
Parliament.
The constitution of the United Kingdom is flexible and can be
amended easily from time to time. In England, even though the
powers are vested in the hands of the Centre, the local self-
governments have not perished. Due to this, the local matters or
issues are not overlooked and unity is prevailed in the state. Also,
UK enjoys advantages of single citizenship allowing them to
purchase property or find jobs anywhere in the country. it must
be noted that due to formation of local self-government in the
country the risk of flourishment of absolutism is reduced and the
Centre is less burdened allowing them to pay attention to every
important matter.

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 CONCLUSION:

After discussing the features, merits and demerits of unitary

government, it can be concluded that when it comes to small
countries or states a unitary form of government is the most
suitable option as it promotes integrity amongst the citizens of
the country and a uniform/stable administration takes place.
Also, a prompt decision making in case of crisis helps in
stabilizing the economy of a country. But it should be noted that
this form of government should not be completely autocratic and
the local self-government should be given a chance to emerge.
This will not only expand the knowledge of the locals but also
help in coping up with the local matters. Proper formation of
local self-government will retain people’s confidence in the
government and it will also minimize the risk of flourishment of
absolutism which can further transform into dictatorship.
For example, in case of France, President De Gaulle
concentrated many powers in his own hand causing the risk of
absolutism.
In my opinion in the modern times, it is necessary to provide
powers to the local self-governments so that unity and integrity
is fostered amongst the society.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/unitary-state
• http://www.brainkart.com/article/Unitary-Form-of-
Government_34309/
• https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-a-unitary-
state.html
• https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-
essays/constitutional-law/the-uk-system-of-government-
constitutional-law-essay.php

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