Comparing Forms of Government
How should political and economic power
be distributed in a society?
CIVICS – Chapter 2
1
Preview
In your opinion, which one of the following people or groups should have the power
to make the rules at school, and why?
• principal
• teachers
• student council
• other
Are there any people or groups above that should not make the rules at your school? If
so, why not?
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Comparing Governments and
Economies
Read pages 20-35 and complete the
chart:
1. Define the type of government or
economy
2. List some positives (pros)
3. List some negatives (cons)
Comparing Governments and
Economies
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•
•
•
MONARCHY EXAMPLE
Definition: a system of government in
which a single ruler exercises supreme
power based on heredity or divine
right
Pros: efficient, clear line of succession
Cons: quality of leadership can vary
dramatically, too much power in one
person
Types of Government
• Dictatorship
– A system of
government in which
a single person
exercises supreme
power based upon
force
– Pros = centralized
power, peace and
order
– Cons = no opposition
allowed, serious
legitimacy problems
• Theocracy
– A system of
government headed
by religious leaders
– Pros = single state
religion encourages
unity, political
decisions in line with
moral beliefs
– Cons = religious
minorities often
persecuted, difficult
to enforce religious
unity
Types of Government
• Single-party state • Direct democracy
– A system in which
only one political
party is allowed
– Pros = easier to
pass laws
– Cons = opposition
is left out of the
political process
– A system in which
public decisions
are made directly
by citizens
– Pros = each citizen
has a say
– Cons = very time
consuming and
inefficient
Types of Government
• Parliamentary
democracy
– A system which
voters elect
lawmakers (who
select a leader)
– Pros = easier to get
legislation passed
– Cons = no clear
separation of power,
frequent change of
leaders
• Presidential
democracy
– A system which
voters elect
lawmakers and a
president
– Pros = separation of
powers, fixed terms
of office
– Cons = no way to
remove President,
gridlock if lawmakers
and President are
from opposing parties
Systems of Government
• Unitary system
– A system which
power is centralized
in national
government
– Pros = promotes
national unity
– Cons = public policies
may not fit the needs
of the entire country
or population
• Federal system
– A system in which
power is divided
between national and
regional governments
– Pros = good for large,
diverse countries
– Cons = conflict
between national and
regional governments,
conflicting or
competing laws
Systems of Government
• Confederal system
– A system which
power resides in the
regions, the central
government gets
power from regional
governments
• Confederal system
– Pros = prevents rise
of authoritarian
central government,
flexible to meet local
needs
– Cons = central
government too weak
to meet the nations
needs, conflict
between regions
Economic Systems
• Traditional
economy
– A economic
system in which
decisions about
what goods and
services to
produce are made
on the basis of
tradition
• Traditional
economy
– Pros = people can
provide for
themselves
– Cons = low
standard of living,
limited access to
goods and services
Economic Systems
• Market economy
– A economic system
that relies mainly on
markets to determine
what goods and
service to produce
• Market economy
– Pros = competition
keeps prices from
rising, meets needs
based on demand
– Cons = instability,
periods of growth
alternate with
recession, unequal
distribution of wealth
Economic Systems
• Command economy • Command economy
– A economic
system in which
decisions about
what goods and
services are made
by the central
government
– Pros = can ensure
full employment,
price controls, and
income equality
– Cons = low worker
incentive, planners
less efficient than
the market
Power, Politics, and You
Read the “Power, Politics, and You” section of the
chapter. Then, be prepared to respond to the
following questions:
• The authors of this article point out the trend
of democracy stagnation. What factors
account for this, and why is each a problem?
• How do the current methods of suppressing
political dissenters around the world differ
from past methods of repression?
• Do you think that this is an issue that we, as
Americans, should be concerned about? Why
or why not?
13
Processing
Imagine that you are advising a country that is
creating a new constitution.
Below are the priorities that the country might
have when it come to a government and an
economic system.
For each possible priority, identify the combination
(form of government + system of government +
economic system) you would recommend.
Monarchy
Unitary
Traditional
Then write one or two sentences explaining why
you think this combination works best for the
particular priority.
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For each of the priorities that appear below, several students will share their
combination of form of government, system of government and economic system
and explain why they think their combination works best for the particular priority.
Form of government
System of government
Economic system
Efficiency = __________________ + __________________ + __________________
Freedom = __________________ + __________________ + __________________
Prosperity = __________________ + __________________ + __________________
Equality
= __________________ + __________________ + __________________
Security
= __________________ + __________________ + __________________
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