Legitimacy of state power

Question 1

What does it mean?

Answer 1

Legitimacy of state power (i.e how states organize themselves and manage their internal sovereignty)

Question 2

Democratic states

Answer 2

Democracy is the most common model of state government. This means that governments are elected by a free and fair process – where every member of the adult population is able to vote freely for the representative they choose, without intimidation, interference and with every vote counting equally.
There is no single model of a democratic state. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, each distributes power and ensures accountability within the state in different ways.
In states that are not democracies, the governments generally nneed to use authoritarian means to control their territory. This means that the government is not elected or accountable to the population, and people have no means of influencing or removing the government

Question 3

Federal states

Answer 3

In federal states, there is a government, usually in the capital city, which has central power over some policy (i.e foreign policy). Beyong this, there are governments at a subnational level which have the power to make and enforce the law.
The US is a federal system of government. Individual states have the power to decide and enforce their own, different laws (i.e some states have the death penalty).

Question 4

Unitary states

Answer 4

In unitary states, the central government has greater control and authority over what happens within its territory. Most decisions and laws are decided by a national legislature (i.e national elected parliament).
In the UK, Scotland has its own parliament and can make its own laws in certain areas. These powers are delegated by the legislature and could be restored back to the national parliament.

Question 5

Fragile states

Answer 5

May be democratic or undemocratic, but the defining feature is that the state’s internal sovereignty and power is weak. The government may be non-existent, illegitimate, or just too weak to have authority over its territory
The central government in Somalia had no power over large parts of its country during the civil war. The war prevented elections from being held and there was an almost total collapse of the government’s power to keep law/order and provide public services (i.e health/education)

Question 6

Authoritarian states

Answer 6

In states where there is no democracy, the government is not elected and governs with authority that cannot be challenged, held to account or influenced by its population. Leaders remain in power for as long as they wish, or until they are removed by means such as a military coup, foreign intervention or popular uprising.
Human rights abuses are likely to be widespread and the rule of law is not respected

Question 7

Monarchy

Answer 7

Governed by a hereditary monarchy or royal family, which is unelected but has gained its authority through generations of rule by the family.
Monarchies differ greatly, some have more of a symbolic role (i.e England), while others have greater political control (i.e ruling family in Saudi Arabia).

Question 8

Theocracy

Answer 8

Meaning literally ‘rule or government by religion’ theocracy is where power is held by religious groups, rather than non-religious political parties
Ruling Shura council in Saudi Arabia has the power to make and enforce Saudi’s Sharia oe Islamic law, alongside the countries ruling monarchy