Human Geography AP- Unit 4: Chapter 10

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Unitary State

power is held by a central government that maintains authority over all the state’s territory, its regional units, and its people.

Advantages of a Unitary state:

• fewer government agencies, especially those dealing with taxation
• less corruption at local levels
• laws are implemented quickly, evenly, and fairly
• regional districts/assemblies can better care for local citizens

Disadvantages of a Unitary state:

• highly centralized governments can become disconnected from local areas and the concerns of people living there
• policies tend to serve the needs of the region adjacent to the capital or where the ruling elites reside
• may fail to equitably distribute goods and services to peripheral areas

Federal state

power is more broadly shared between a federal government and its regional units

Examples of Federal states

• Mexico, The US, Germany, India

Advantages of Federal states:

• a regional unit can pass a law that applies to it and not to the rest of the country
• allows for more diversity
• multiple political parties can be in power in different areas of the country, which helps keep oppression by one authority at bay
• attention to local issues within a federal system boosts political participation by citizens

Disadvantages of Federal state:

• regional and local leaders may prevent progress on issues that may impact the whole country
• the costs and benefits of federal policy and aid are often distributed unevenly among the country’s regional or local governments
• the federal government can experience conflict within the regional authorites

Gerrymandering

the process by which the party in control of the state legislature redraws legislative maps to favor their party

Packing

when local population is used to draw a district that is full of the opposing party’s voters

Cracking

the practice of splitting up the opposition party’s voters across many districts, thereby diluting their electoral strength

at-large election

the entire population of geographical area elects someone to represent them as a whole

Advantage of at-large election:

• representatives keep the interests of the entire community in mind and tend to be less partisan

Disadvantages of at-large election:

• minority groups are underrepresented because those groups tend to be concentrated in certain areas

District election

a single individual is elected to represent the population of a smaller geographical area