What are the demerits of Unitary State?
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Demerits of Unitart State
Following are the demerits or disadvantages of the Unitart State:
1) Absence of unity in diversity:
There is every possibility that the absence of regional autonomy and too much centralization in the structure of a Unitary government, may establish destabilizing effects on the political system. Central government may not frame policies in line with local conditions, creating frustration in a people.
2) Can lack infrastructure:
Unitary governments may able to take the decisions quickly, but sometimes to implement the decisions they lack the infrastructure. During an emergency condition when there is not enough
local support available for communities this centralized administration may leave the resolution upto local decision makers instead of intervening. Since this delegation may not include the power to make needed changes to protect people, the absence of an independent local government can sometimes cause more harm than good.
3) Can ignore local needs:
The benefit of having a government at local, county and state level is that it can concentrate on local needs without interfering on the national level. So local governments can focus on thier micro-economy, create solutions for thier needs that occur in thier community and support the national government with thier actions simultaneously.
The Unitary government functions through a centralized structure, it is not usually for it to fail to meet the local needs. But, due to slow development of resources for responding to arising situations, Unitary government tends to focus on foreign affairs while keeping domestic needs on the back burner.
4) Can encourage abuse of power:
In Unitary State, a single person or legislative body holds most, if not all, governmental power. History has shown that power, when placed in too few hands, is easily abused.
5) Easily occurrence of manipulation:
Due to lack of bureaucracy, a Unitary government can improve efficiencies, the structure also makes it possible for individuals in the government to manipulate the system. When someone in power decides to pursue more wealth or governing opportunities for themselves, then there are very few ways to stop that activity. By creating a system that offers a chance to manipulate the system for personal needs, the majority of the population must pay for the boost in power and the wealth that one person receives.
6) Protecting the Central body first:
Because the goal of the government is self-preservation, the various ‘arm’ that work at the local level are usually the first resources cut when they are in budgetary issues. The needs at the national government will always outweigh what local needs are with this government. That means the decisions it makes are typically based on it’s own survival first, instead of taking the interests of the population under consideration.
In severe conditions, it can even lead to local communities becoming ungoverned with lack of resource access,even though they are still expected to pledge support to the government who isn’t supporting them.
7) Not allowing areas of autonomy:
When there is a Unitary government which offers no degree of autonomy to the areas under its control, then the sub-national regions are not allowed to decide their own laws at any time. Even where the government permits the presence of sub-national governments in this structure, there is not a sharing of power. Their right to existence is at the leisure of the government, and the authority of these divisions can change at any time.
8) The purpose of having the few control to many:
People are just patriotic under a Unitary system of government as they are with the federal system. The disadvantage of the centralized State is that there are few opportunities to get involved with the legislative process. People are rarely given an opportunity to interact with thier governing officials unless they have a specific need to fill, such as the creation of official identification materials. If their is a shift in policy that takes right away from selected groups of people, there may not be anything that the general population can do not stop that process from happening
9) Slow national process:
The decision making process of the Unitary government may be fast, but the decision of thier resources means that the response can be very slow. Every authorization for resistance must come through the centralized government. That means there are times when there is more bureaucracy to navigate instead of less since a federated State could immediate dispatch assistance, like how a governor can send out the National Guard to provide support.