Forms of government are a type of public administration system. This concept includes the method of its formation, the duration of this system, law, as well as the ways in which elements of government interact between themselves and the people. It also determines the power of public influence on the formation of government.
Initially, this concept can be understood in a narrow and broad sense: in the first case, it means the organization of only the highest layers of government, and in the second, the interaction of all elements of the state.
In this article we will consider the most common forms of government in modern states.
Government Form Criteria
Before proceeding with the description, it is important to identify the criteria by which they are determined. So, the main forms of government are represented by two types: the monarchy and the republic. They are radically different from each other:
1. The way in which power is transferred. It can be given as an inheritance or with the help of a population choice.
2. Responsibility: in the republic, the president bears great responsibility to society, and the head of state with the monarchy is practically irresponsible to him.
3. The range of powers between the authorities: the republican government is more limited in its actions.
Now consider in more detail each of them.
Forms of government: monarchy
This is such a form of government when the state is headed by one person - the monarch. This person receives inheritance rights, and is not responsible to the society of the state that he administers, and legally it is impossible to deprive him of power.
Consider several types of monarchy:
1. Absolute. It is represented by the unlimited power of the head: he is the supreme organ, and in his hands is absolute power. In today's world with such a government, Oman and Saudi Arabia exist.
2. Limited. In this case, the state is ruled not by one person, but also by authorities, which are not subordinate to the monarch. The power between them is dispersed, and its powers are limited by traditions or the constitution. Depending on this, this type of government is divided into two categories: estate-representative monarchy and constitutional. In the first case, power is limited by the criterion of involvement in the estate, most often it manifests itself in deliberative form. In constitutional form, the power of the monarch is limited by the Constitution and at the same time there is a parliament in the state, the composition of which is formed by the people.
Forms of government: republic
With this type of device, the authorities, and, in particular, their composition, are formed by the people. Representatives of the authorities must bear equal responsibility to the citizens of the country. The actions of the president are carried out on behalf of the people, and the authorities are formed in such a way as to be independent from each other.
The action limit of those elected by the people is a special measure that expresses their responsibility to the citizens of the country. Power is given for a certain period, which can be reduced if the elect do not perform their duties properly.
There are three types of republics:
1. Parliamentary, in which parliament plays a major role and has more power than the president. It is he who forms the government and dismisses him, if necessary. In Greece, Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany, this is precisely the form of the republic where the presidents do not have substantial powers.
2. The presidential. A distinctive feature of this form of government is that the main power is concentrated in the hands of the president, who forms the government. It currently exists in the United States and Ecuador.
3. The mixed form. In this case, the powers are divided between parliament and the president.
Thus, the listed types of government have a number of advantages and disadvantages. At the moment, the monarchy is not so widespread, and it is probably difficult to imagine today as a progressive option. The people's government is also not an ideal government, since the presence of many responsible persons as a result leads to the fact that no one is responsible, and an even division of power contributes to tug of war and empty disputes. In this sense, the monarchical form of government implies a great deal of specificity. Perhaps there is an ideal form of government, which we still do not know about, or maybe it lies in its absence. One way or another, but the republic and the monarchy are two extremes, between which lies a people who must put up with one of them.