What are the different styles in government?

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A breakdown of some of the different forms government has taken in the world

Question

What are the different styles in government?

Answer

Government styles refer to the various ways in which political power and authority are organised and exercised within a state. These styles can be categorized based on governance structures, leadership approaches, and administrative practices.

Types of Government Styles

Governance Structures:

Parliamentary: The most common form globally, where the executive branch derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature or parliament (Metin and Ünal, 2022).
Presidential: A system where the president is the head of state and government, separate from the legislative branch (Metin and Ünal, 2022).
Semi-Presidential: Includes both president-parliamentary and premier-presidential forms, where a president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet (Metin and Ünal, 2022).
Assembly-Government: Divided into assembly-independent and assembly-dependent subtypes, focusing on the relationship between the assembly and the executive (Metin and Ünal, 2022).
Monarchy and Semi-Monarchial: Traditional forms where a monarch holds significant power, with semi-monarchial being a blend of monarchy and parliamentary systems (Metin and Ünal, 2022).

Leadership Styles:

Autocratic: Centralized decision-making with little input from others, often seen in assertive governance (Bogdan and Riza, 2024; Jiang and Luo, 2021).
Democratic/Participative: Involves collective decision-making and encourages citizen participation (Hamad and Khan, 2023; De Smedt et al., 2024).
Transformational and Transactional: Focus on inspiring change and managing through rewards and penalties, respectively, often linked to efficiency and innovation (Bogdan and Riza, 2024; Kenyi and Nyaboga, 2024; Mashayekhifar and Salehi, 2024).
Laissez-Faire: Minimal intervention in decision-making, allowing for autonomy and innovation but sometimes leading to poor performance outcomes (Bogdan and Riza, 2024; Hamad and Khan, 2023; Kenyi and Nyaboga, 2024).

Administrative Styles:

Functional vs. Positional: Functional focuses on task-oriented management, while positional emphasizes the role and influence of the position within the organisation (Casula and Malandrino, 2023).
Ministerial Learning Styles: Includes incremental, risk-averse, managerial, creative, instrumental, and instinctive approaches, affecting how ministers adapt to their roles (Boswell et al., 2024).

Government styles encompass a range of structures and leadership approaches, from parliamentary and presidential systems to various leadership styles like autocratic and transformational. Each style has distinct characteristics and implications for governance, policy-making, and public administration. Understanding these styles helps in analysing how different governments operate and respond to challenges.

References

Metin, A., & Ünal, S., 2022. Classifying forms of government on a global scale. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 8, pp. 487 – 515. https://doi.org/10.1177/20578911221127176

Casula, M., & Malandrino, A., 2023. Exploring the link between administrative styles and policy output: The case of the Italian Extraordinary Commissioner for the Covid‐19 Emergency. European Policy Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1002/epa2.1176

Bogdan, A., & Riza, I., 2024. Balancing Leadership Styles for Sustainable Public Sector Efficiency. Journal of Global Sustainability and Development (JGSD). https://doi.org/10.57017/jgsd.v1.i1.05

Hamad, M., & Khan, Z., 2023. IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES IN ZANZIBAR. International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology. https://doi.org/10.33564/ijeast.2023.v08i07.005

Kenyi, M., & Nyaboga, I., 2024. Influence of Leadership Styles on Performance of Local Government Agencies: Case of Central Equatoria State Local Government in South Sudan. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i05.29199

Jiang, J., & Luo, Z., 2021. Leadership Styles and Political Survival of Chinese Communist Party Elites. The Journal of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1086/710144

Boswell, J., Smith, J., Devine, D., & Corbett, J., 2024. Learning to govern: A typology of ministerial learning styles. Public Administration. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12994

De Smedt, N., Haesevoets, T., Steyvers, K., & Wauters, B., 2024. The relationship between local councillors’ representative style and their support for participatory democracy. Party Politics. https://doi.org/10.1177/13540688241261954

Mashayekhifar, E., & Salehi, A., 2024. Quantitative Analysis of the Effect of Leadership Styles on Employee Conflict Management in Government Organisations. International Journal of applied Research in Management, Economics and Accounting. https://doi.org/10.63053/ijmea.31

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