The unitary form of state is a type of state system in which a country is divided into several administrative parts that do not have the status of state entities. But in some cases, certain regions of the country may have some degree of independence in decision-making. The signs of a unitary state are characteristic of small countries in terms of area and population. But there is an exception in the form of China, which, despite its solid territory and huge population, is considered a unitary state. In such countries there is a single code of laws, a single constitution and a legal system. The highest governing bodies are the same for all entities in the state. Currently, the absolute majority of independent public entities in the world are unitary. Among such countries, one can note the UK, France, Spain, Ukraine and many others. Recently, we have especially often heard mention of a unitary state. What is it, we will consider in more detail.
Unitarity as a form of government
Before considering in more detail the very definition of a “unitary state”, it is necessary to mention the existing forms of government. At its core, the form of government is the administrative, territorial and national structure of the country, which shows the relationship between regions, local and central government, as well as between different nationalities and nations living in the same territory.
In addition, the form of the state system demonstrates what constituent entities the state consists of, what their legal status and degree of their interaction among themselves, in what form the interests of national minorities living in one region are expressed, and how relations are built between central authorities and local self-government .
But the specific form of government in a particular country depends on the geographical location of the regions, their national composition, as well as on a number of factors, among which we can distinguish economic, social, historical and cultural.
Types of forms of government
Currently, there are 3 types of forms of state-territorial system:
1. Federation. This form of government is the union of several previously sovereign (or having wide autonomy within the state) countries (regions) into a single state on a voluntary basis. The most famous examples of the federal structure are the Russian Federation (consisting of 85 entities, of which 22 republics, 4 autonomous regions and 1 autonomous region), the USA (50 states and several freely associated territories), India (29 states, the metropolitan area and 6 union territories ) and others.
2. Confederation. This form of organization is a state association of several independent countries. Moreover, not one of the subjects of the confederation does not lose its sovereignty, and has its own armed forces, monetary and legal systems. The only existing confederation is Switzerland (however, recently it has acquired all the attributes of a federation). Also, the EU, the Union of Russia and Belarus, the Eurasian Union are considered as peculiar confederations.
3. The unitary state. What it is? This issue haunts millions of citizens, especially recently with the advent of centers of separatism in different countries of the world. This is a single state entity, which is divided into administrative components, each of which does not have any sovereignty and is subordinate to the central authorities. In turn, unitary states are also divided into several types.
Centralized unitary structure of the state
Unitary state formations of this type include countries in which the functions of power are carried out at the local level only by those representatives of power that are approved and agreed upon by central government bodies. At the same time, a centralized state may provide some independence to lower local authorities. The most striking examples of unitary states with a centralized structure are the United Kingdom and Denmark. In addition, signs of centralization are inherent in African countries, where local power belongs to tribes and clans. Although it is worth noting that today such states are quite rare.
A decentralized unitary state: what is it?
Decentralized states include those countries in which the constitution provides for the distinction between central authorities and local self-government. That is, in fact, subjects of public education can have a fairly wide autonomy, and at the same time have their own parliament, administrative structures and government. Basically, such privileges are enjoyed by large regions that were once independent or had a sufficiently broad independence in resolving specific issues. In addition, these regions are often united by common historical, economic, and geographical interests. The subjects of a decentralized state can independently solve a number of issues, including economic problems, issues of education, healthcare, public order protection and public utilities. In fact, the subjects are turning into separate countries of a unitary state, which are united for some reason into a single entity. Countries with a pronounced decentralized device include France and Spain.
Mixed Unitary States
Mixed unitary states have signs of both decentralization and the centralized influence of power on subjects of public education. In fact, the mixed states include those countries, some regions of which have broad autonomy and are capable of independently solving assigned tasks. At the same time, autonomies can establish ties with other countries, sign a variety of cultural, social and economic memoranda. The most striking examples of unitary states of a mixed type are Italy and Norway.
For states with a unitary form of device, several distinctive features are characteristic.
Internal division of unitary state formations
As a rule, each country is divided into small regions, which, in turn, are divided into smaller subjects of local self-government. The name of the regions may be different, but their meaning is the same in all countries of the world. For example, the countries of the former USSR in their division have large areas, which, in turn, are divided into regions and rural settlements (village councils). This section is not accidental. Regions are formed on the common interests of the historical past, geographical location and economic development. Such an administrative division allows central authorities to control the situation throughout the country as much as possible.
The main features of unitary countries
one.
All subjects of the political system are subject to the operation of a single constitution. Moreover, the basic law can distinguish between central authority and self-government, thus providing the region with some autonomy.
2. Unified bodies of state power. The power of the president of the country and parliament throughout the state is undeniable. In addition, central authorities have the authority to independently appoint local government leaders.
3. If other nationalities (small in number) live in the territory of the state, then it is allowed to provide them with some autonomy.
4. All international relations are regulated by central authorities. State entities cannot join international unions on their own. Only cooperation of autonomies with other state entities at the cultural and social levels is allowed.
5. The subjects of the state do not have state sovereignty, therefore, the regions do not have their own armed forces, monetary system and other elements of statehood.
6. The state language in all subjects of the state is uniform.
Factors affecting the formation of a unitary state
Many people ask themselves: “Unitary state: what is it, how is it formed?” Let's try to answer this question. A unitary state is formed depending on many factors. Let's consider some of them.
1. The prevalence on the territory of the state of a single cultural and national population, which has one language, one religion, similarity of mentality and common history.
2. The convenience of creating a single state for economic reasons. States that have common borders with no customs barriers can unite in a unitary state entity. True, it is worth noting that this still requires a single currency, a single taxation system, a common legal system, as well as a unity of resource potential and division of labor.
3. External pressure from third countries. With the active interference in the state affairs of other state associations, countries with a common border and common cultural and historical factors can unite into a single unitary state.
Factors that affect the fragmentation of a unitary state
To the question: “What is a unitary state?”, Most people will answer that these are countries that are united according to historical and cultural traditions and do not encounter manifestations of disunity in society. However, this is not quite true. Unitary formations in the modern world are characterized by many problems. Among the main ones, one can single out the so-called separatism, that is, the requirement of one region to recognize its state sovereignty. Consider what affects disunity within a unitary state.
1. The disadvantage of the association for economic reasons. A vivid example in this case is Italy. In recent years, the northern regions of the country have actively declared sovereignty, especially this movement is popular in Venice. These regions are the levers of the country's economy, and subsidize poorer southern regions.
2. Different history, culture and language of parts of the state. In this case, the most striking example is Ukraine, which consists of regions with different cultural and historical interests. So, for example, the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine have closer ties with Russia. In the western part of the country the situation is similar. Thus, Transcarpathia has a historical and cultural community with Hungary, Bukovina - with Romania, and Galicia - with Poland. But, despite a similar difference in historical and cultural terms, Ukraine has inherent signs of a unitary state.
3. Low standard of living and dissatisfaction with this fact of the population. In this case, Sudan can be cited as an example. The low standard of living caused the southern regions of the country, which before that had wide autonomy, decided to secede from the main state. It is worth noting that up to 60% of economic leverage is concentrated in the southern regions of Sudan. As a result, this led to the emergence of the new state of South Sudan on the political map of the world .
4. Low political literacy of the population, which allows the "political leaders" of the regions to actively promote the idea of creating a sovereign state.