Editing Centralisation (section)

==Centralisation in politics==

===History of the centralisation of authority===
''Centralisation of authority'' is the systematic and consistent concentration of authority at a central point or in a person within the organization. This idea was first introduced in the [[Qin dynasty]] of China. The Qin government was highly bureaucratic and was administered by a hierarchy of officials, all serving the First Emperor, [[Qin Shi Huang]]. The Qin dynasty practised all the things that [[Han Fei]]zi taught, allowing Qin Shi Huang to own and control all his territories, including those conquered from other countries. Zheng and his advisers ended feudalism in China by setting up new laws and regulations under a centralised and bureaucratic government with a rigid centralisation of authority.<ref>Bachman, D., Bickers, R., Carter, J., de Weert, H., Elders, C., Entenmann, R. and Felton, M. (2007). ''World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia. New York: Marshall Cavendish'', p.36.</ref>

===Features of centralisation of authority in ancient Chinese government===
* In the ancient Chinese government, the monarchical power was the supreme power in the empire. The emperor monopolised all the resources in the country; his personality and abilities decide the prosperity of the country. This autocratic system allows for faster decision-making and avoids complex solutions to problems that arise. One disadvantage is that courtiers, who compete for the emperor's favor, could amass power for themselves, leading to internal strife. (Jin and Liu, 1992)<ref>Jin, G. and Liu, Q. (1992). ''The Cycle of Growth and Decline - On the Ultrastable Structure of Chinese Society: Chapter 7''. 2nd ed. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press.</ref>
* The administrative department had highly centralised powers. The duties of each bureaucratic occupation were not clearly defined, leading to inefficiencies as functionaries managed the government and effectively ruled the country.

===Idea of centralisation of authority===
[[File:Centralisé.png|thumb|A diagram of a centralised health tracing system (in French){{Relevance inline|date=February 2022}}]]
The acts for the implementation are needed after delegation. Therefore, the authority for taking the decisions can be spread with the help of the delegation of the authority.

The centralisation of authority can be done immediately, if complete concentration is given at the decision-making stage for any position. The centralisation can be done with a position or at a level in an organisation. Ideally, the decision-making power is held by a few individuals.

===Advantages and disadvantages of the centralisation of authority===
Centralisation of authority has several advantages and disadvantages. The benefits include:

# Responsibilities and duties are well defined within the central governing body.
# Decision-making is very direct and clear.<ref name=":0">Singh, K. (2015). ''What is Centralization and De-Centralization of the Authority? | Total MBA Guide.'' [online] Mbaofficial.com. Available at: http://www.mbaofficial.com/mba-courses/principles-of-management/what-is-centralization-and-de-centralization-of-the-authority/ [Accessed 4 Nov. 2015].</ref>
# The central power maintains a large "encompassing interest" in the welfare of the state it rules since it stands to benefit from any increase in the state's wealth and/or power.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Olson|first=Mancur|date=1993-01-01|title=Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development|jstor=2938736|journal=The American Political Science Review|volume=87|issue=3|pages=567–576|doi=10.2307/2938736|s2cid=145312307 }}</ref> In this sense, the incentives of state and ruler are aligned.

Disadvantages, on the other hand are as follows:

# Decisions may be misunderstood while being passed on and lower position departments do not have the decision-making power, therefore it requires an efficient and well-organised top department.
# Attention and support for each department or city may not be balanced.
# Delay of work information may result in inefficiency of the government.
# Discrepancies in the economy and information resources between the centre and other places are significant.
# Excludes actors at the local and provincial levels from the prevailing system of governance, reducing the capacity of the central government to hold the authority accountable (with risks of corruption), resolve disputes or design effective policies requiring local knowledge and expertise.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sawyer|first=Amos|date=2004-09-01|title=Violent conflicts and governance challenges in West Africa: the case of the Mano River basin area|journal=The Journal of Modern African Studies|volume=42|issue=3|pages=437–463|doi=10.1017/S0022278X04000266|s2cid=154954003|issn=1469-7777}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shleifer|first=Andrei|date=2002|title=The grabbing hand: Government pathologies and their cures|url=http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674010147}}</ref>