Comparative Analysis of Government Forms- Exploring Monarchy, Oligarchy, Dictatorship, and Democracy in Contemporary Contexts

Comparative Analysis of Government Forms- Exploring Monarchy, Oligarchy, Dictatorship, and Democracy in Contemporary Contexts

Forms of Government: Monarchy

Monarchy is a form of government that includes vesting supreme authority in a monarch, who is a single ruler functioning as the head of state. Monarchy government is further divided into absolute and constitutional monarchies (Anckar 3). Absolute monarchies include a monarch exercising total power as the head of government and head of state. Other government bodies or assemblies may assist the monarch, but he or she exercises the final authority. One country that uses absolute monarchies is Saudi Arabia, where influence and authority are vested in the ruling House of Saud. Constitutional monarchies include the restriction of the monarch’s power by law. The monarch only serves as the head of state, while an elected prime minister serves as the head of government. The monarch may have a lot of authority but is not empowered to exercise full control. One of the countries currently using constitutional monarchies is the United Kingdom.

The main difference between a democracy and a monarchy government is that in a democratic government, people participate in policy formulation by giving their opinion on the policies and recommending changes, but in a monarchy government, people do not have the right to question the monarch. In a democratic government, the elected representative is held accountable by the people who put him in power, thus emphasizing free and fair elections to grant or deny the right to rule, but in a monarchy government, the Queens and Kings are not held accountable, and the people do not have the power to remove them from power if they are not satisfied with their governance. Another major difference is that in a democratic government, the elected representative is in charge of making laws, regulations, and rules on behalf of the people, but in a monarchy government, laws and regulations are made by the Kings and Queens.

One of the positive aspects of the monarch government is that it allows the smooth transfer of power because the ruler decides when to transfer power and the person to take charge of the country’s leadership. The second positive aspect is more efficiency in governing the country because there is less interference from the public, and there is only one supreme power making decisions. The main negative aspect of a monarchy government is that poor leadership can jeopardize the future of a country. Another negative aspect is the abuse of power because the monarch can use their power as they please without being questioned.

The main positive aspect of a democratic government is that it allows people to participate in governing the country by providing feedback and recommendations on policies and electing leaders. The second positive aspect is reduced exploitation because people have the right to question authority and remove leaders who use their positions for personal gains. However, the efficiency of democratic government is dictated by polarization, which prevents individuals from tolerating various perspectives. A democratic government also creates room for abuse of power and poor leadership due to incompetent leaders because the voice of the majority matters, and leaders may manipulate citizens to support them.

Government and Politics as Social Institutions

The functionalism theory posits that the purpose of the government is to plan and direct society, maintain law and order, meet social needs and manage international relations (Griffiths et al. 386). Therefore, based on this theory, government and politics can serve as social institutions by defining how people relate based on the rules and regulations put in place to maintain law and order and the limitations of social changes. Conflict theory views social structures as the causes of social problems such as crime and poverty (Griffiths et al. 386). Based on this perspective, government and politics are social institutions because they dictate the social environment, thus regulating social problems. For instance, politics and government may set policies that negatively impact the economy, thus creating poverty and increasing the crime rate. According to Griffiths et al. (387), from the symbolic interaction perspective, politics is dictated by the interaction between small groups and individuals over some time. Therefore, government and politics are social institutions because they regulate the interaction between individuals and social groups. For instance, they regulate the formation and action of social groups to prevent conflict and ensure that they operate within the law.

Works Cited

Anckar, Carsten. “Constitutional monarchies and semi-constitutional monarchies: a global historical study, 1800–2017.” Contemporary Politics, vol. 27, no. 1, 2020, pp. 23-40.

Griffiths, Heather, et al. Introduction to Sociology 2e. 2017.

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In this chapter, we discuss government and politics as social institutions. This discussion board discusses different forms of government worldwide and in our country. Your book describes different forms of government in Chapter 17 on pages 380-383. The online textbook chapter 17 defines anarchy, monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, and democracy.

Comparative Analysis of Government Forms- Exploring Monarchy, Oligarchy, Dictatorship, and Democracy in Contemporary Contexts

1. Choose one of the four forms of government (not anarchy) and find some countries today that describe themselves as one of them. After finding an example, compare that form of government to the one we have in our country – the U.S. Democracy. Describe both types of governments’ positive and negative aspects in your comparison.
2. Please explain government and politics as social institutions (the macro level of analysis) by three sociological perspectives: functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interaction from “Theoretical Perspectives on Government and Politics” on pages 386-387 from the online textbook chapter 17.