Question

Describe the disadvantages and advantages of having goverment power concentrated in the hands of a few compared to government power that is widely

distributed

Answer 1

Advantages:

• Efficiency: the government may be more efficient because a few people take all the decisions, with barely or any opposition, which can make any process run faster.
• Order: the government can more easily impart order in society because its authority is unopposed. This can reduce crime, and improve public safety.

Disadvatanges:

• Authoritarianism: a government concentrated in a few hands can become very authoritarian, to the point of violating the human rights of those who oppose it.
• Totalitarianism: this type of government can become so authoritarian that it turns into a totalitarian government: one that controls every aspect of its citizens: from the people they vote for, to the way they dress.
• Corruption: a government without opposition, concentrated in a few hands, can easily become corrupt, and reduce the welfare of its citizens because of that.