CLASSIFICATION OF GOVERNMENTS
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This classification is certainly not complete, but it gives
an idea of the choices available. In practice governments may share
one or more of these characteristics. In particular a mixture of
military rule and parliamentary system, first tried out in the UK has
now achieved a considerable degree of economic success in East Asia.
A country may enjoy (or suffer) several different forms of government
in rapid succession.
NOS = Not otherwise specified.
.A Military Rule
.B One party system
.C Parliamentary System
.D Presidential System
.E Absolute Monarchy
World Development Report 1990,WORLD BANK
Rethinking the State. pp 128-147
Classification here due to Vanhanen.
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A. Military Rule
A0 Multiple competing military factions (civil war).
A1 Military cannot be paid (utterly unreliable).
A9 Military must be on the streets most of the time.
AA Military in barracks most of the time.
AB Military own everything
B. One party system
B0 Theocracy
B01 Islamic state
B02 Protestant state
B03 Catholic state (Vatican).
B04 Buddhist state
B1 Marxist
B2 Syndicalist
BA Capitalist
BB Colonial rule
BX Minority race/religion/language
BZ One party system NOS
C. Parliamentary System
C1. Constitutional monarchy
C11 Single chamber.
C12 Two chamber
C13 Multinational parliament
C14 Two party system
C15 Permanent Shuffling (like Italy)
D. Presidential System
D0 Dictatorship by 'strong man'.
D1 President murdered predecessor.
D2 President was elected
D3 President bought office
D4 Rotating presidency
D41 RP linguistic basis.
D42 RP ethnic basis.
D43 RP religious basis.
D44 RP class basis.
D45 RP family or clan basis.
D46 RP by lottery.
D4Z RP NOS
D8 President appointed by foreign government.
D9 President is a dignitary who just attends funerals.
E. Absolute Monarchy
E0 Oil sheikdom
E9 Poor mini-state like Bhutan.
EK King is a vestige of God.
ET Multinational empire.
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E: ABSOLUTE MONARCHY
Absolute monarchies seem an anachronism in the 20th
century, but fashions do change. Because of the technological changes
and increased consumer power it is now difficult for any young
monarch to get away from the 'play-boy' image. Nevertheless a king
can enjoy a reasonable life in a constitutional monarchy such as
Denmark, or the Netherlands.
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
The financial rescue of Europe's Disneyland by a Saudi
prince has been noted in the financial pages of many newspapers. All
of the oil sheikdoms are dominated by one country, named after its
own ruling clan. Saudi Arabia is the largest member of the Gulf
Co-operation Council, and controls the largest economy. The other
members are effectively the seven dwarfs.
Great care needs to be exercised in ruling this country
now that the people have had a taste of prosperity, and various exile
groups have been set up to try and steer the country towards the
third millennium (or sixteenth century, in Hejira time).
You may examine the data on some of them here:
Committee Against Corruption in Saudi Arabia (
CACSA)
Committee for Defense of Legitimate Rights (
CDLR)
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