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The Governance System Notes with PDF

By October 4, 2025 Educational Resources 0 Comments

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The State & Its Essential Elements

Definition of a State:

  • A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory.
  • It is independent of external control (sovereign).
  • It possesses an organized government.
  • It is the primary unit of study in Political Science.

Essential Elements (Constituent Elements):

  1. Population: A community of persons living permanently in the state.
  2. Territory: A definite geographical area with demarcated boundaries.
  3. Government: An organized governing authority.
  4. Sovereignty: The most important element; absolute authority over internal and external matters without external control.
    • Example: India lacked the status of a state before 1947 because, despite having population, territory, and a government, it lacked sovereignty under British rule.

Sovereignty in Practice (India):

  • India is a sovereign nation.
  • Its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations is voluntary and does not curtail its sovereignty.
  • The British monarch is only a symbolic head of the Commonwealth.

Systems of Government

Parliamentary System

  • Definition: A system where the executive is derived from and responsible to the legislature.
  • Key Features:
    • The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha (Lower House).
    • The executive (ministers) can be removed by the legislature through a vote of no-confidence.
    • Ministers are typically members of Parliament.
    • The Cabinet is headed by the Prime Minister, not the Head of State (President).
    • Based on the principle of collective responsibility to the people.
  • Reason for Adoption in India: The Indian Constitution provides for a Parliamentary system, largely based on the British model.
  • Advantage: The main advantage is the executive’s responsibility to the legislature, ensuring accountability.

Presidential System

  • Definition: A system where the executive is separate from and not responsible to the legislature.
  • Key Feature: All executive powers are vested directly in the President.
  • Status in India: The Presidential system is not a feature of the Indian Constitution.

Federal System

  • Definition: A system of government with two levels—a central government and state governments—with a division of power between them.
  • Essential Federal Features in India:
    1. Written Constitution.
    2. Division of power between Union and States.
    3. Supremacy of the Constitution.
    4. Rigid Constitution (hard to amend).
    5. Independent Judiciary (a key indicator of federalism).
    6. Bicameral Legislature (two houses: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha).
  • Unitary Features (in Indian Federalism):
    • Strong central government.
    • Single Constitution and Citizenship.
    • Appointment of State Governors by the Centre.
    • President’s approval required for some state bills.
    • Integrated Judiciary, Audit Machinery, and Election Commission.
    • All-India Services (e.g., IAS, IPS).
    • Parliament’s authority over the State List under certain circumstances.
    • Emergency provisions that centralize power.

Unitary System & Governance

Unitary System:

  • Characteristics include a strong center, uniformity of laws, a flexible constitution, and swift decision-making.
  • It is not considered ideal for large countries due to the difficulty in managing diverse needs from a single center.

Good Governance:

  • Features: Accountability, Transparency, and Rule of Law.
  • Barrier: Red Tapism (excessive bureaucracy and rigid rules that delay decisions) is not a feature of good governance.
  • The “Barriers to Good Governance in India” were identified in the Second Administrative Reforms Commission’s report titled ‘Citizen-Centric Administration: The Heart of Governance’.

The Indian Polity

Cardinal Features:

  • It is a Democratic Republic.
  • It has a Parliamentary form of Government.
  • The Supreme power vests in the People of India.
  • It provides a unified authority (with strong unitary features).

Parliamentary Sovereignty vs. Judicial Review:

  • UK Model: Parliament is sovereign; its laws are supreme and cannot be challenged by the judiciary.
  • Indian Model:
    • The Constitution limits the power of the Indian Parliament to legislate.
    • The Judiciary (Supreme Court) can review and strike down parliamentary laws if they violate the Constitution.
    • Matters of constitutional validity are referred to a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.

Types of State:

  • Welfare State: A state involved in all aspects of life for the welfare of its citizens (“The State is everywhere”).
  • Police State: Not discussed in detail, but implied as the opposite of a welfare state.

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