A concept of governance in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well being of its citizens, based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life. Eg. Norway and Denmark and their rule is based on "Nordic Principles".

A person or group of persons selected to act as head of state because of the ruler is a minor. Such a rule is called Regency. It was most prevalent in various rules of Indian Modern History.

Is a state that self identifies as derives its political entity for a country as a sovereign territorial unit. Eg. Bangladesh where 98% population are Bengalis. Swaziland where 98.6% population are Swazi tribes.

A form of power structure in which power is effectively rests with a small number of people from a Royal House, wealthy people, family ties, corporate people or military personnel.

A system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that executive and legislature branches are interwined. Eg: India.

Number of definitions are there. However, such states are the direct or indirect followers of the Communist ideology (Marxism/Leninism) where workers, citizens and all other people participate in society working for common ideals. Eg.India.

A method of decision making in multinational political communities wherein power is transferred or delegated to an authority by governments of member states.

A system in which power is primarily held by adult men.

A rule by the wealthy or power aided by wealth. The combination of plutocracy and oligarchy is called Plutocracy.

A government in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population.

A form of government in which power is vested in three or more persons.

A system of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the name) separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which, cannot, in normal circumstances dismiss it. Eg: USA.

Also called puppet government or marionette government. It is a nominal sovereign who is, in reality, controlled by a foreign power.

A form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, retain supreme control over the government. Eg: India.

A government generally refers to joint rule or harmonious rule. It can also mean a rule by a secret elites.

A form of government in which technical experts, like engineers, scientists, health professionals are in control of decision making in their respective fields.

A state with primarily maritime realms - an empire at sea. Eg. Japan.

A form of government in which a state is considered as governed by immediate divine guidance especially a state ruled by clergy or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. Eg: Vatican, and former government of Tibet led by Dalai Lama.

A type of government with a combination of theocracy and democracy.

A state where only property owners may participate in government or a government where rulers are selected and perpetuated based on the degree of honour they hold relative to others in their society, peer group or class.

A ruling which consisted of a social group existing before the development of or out side of, class. Generally led by a chieftain and such a ruling is called chiefdom.

In which a person who illegally seizes and controls a government and such a ruler is called a Tyrant. Generally it is associated with harsh, cruel and repressive dealing by the ruler.

A sovereign state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercises only powers that their central government chooses to delegate.

A form of government in which a single entity, called the "despot", rules with absolute power. That entity may be an individual as in an autocracy, or it may be a group, as in an oligarchy. There are four types of despotism:
1. AUTOCRACY - A form of government in which one man/person possesses unlimited power.
2. DICTATORSHIP - It is an autocractic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual known as Dictator.
3. MILITARY DICTATORSHIP - A form of government wherein the political power resides with the military. A state ruled directly by military. Eg: Rule of Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.
4. MILITARY JUNTA - A form of government led by a Committee of military leaders. Eg: Currently in Egypt (2011 May/June), Fiji.

Geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled by a monarch - emperor or empress. Eg: United Kingdom.

A radical, authoritarian nationalist political ideology. It aims at creation of a totalitarian single party state that seeks the mass mobilization of a nation through indoctrination, physical education and family policy including eugenics (improving genetic composition of a population).

A type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self governing states or regions united by a Central government. Eg. USA.

It is a form of oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult population.

A concept of government where the regulatory ideals and democratic procedures of the democratic state are informed by the ecological democracy based on ecological wisdom, social justice, grass roots democracy and non-violence.

It means a temporary discontinuity or a gap , which can happen in any activity including in a government set up. During such periods the following types of governments are formed:
CARE TAKER GOVERNMENT - A temporary government set up following a war, fall of a elected government due to political reasons, or between elections. INTERREX - A ruler between Kings - like a regent.
PROVISIONAL/TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT - An emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. Eg: Provisional government of India 1943-1945. Transitional Council now announced in Libya in May 2011.

A government subject to control fraud that takes advantage of governmental corruption to extend the personal wealth and political power of government officials and ruling class via the embezzlement of state funds at the expense of the wider population, sometimes without even the pretense of honest service.

In which females, especially mothers, have the central role of political leadership and moral authority.

A system of government wherein appointments are made and responsibilities assigned to individuals based upon their merits determined through evaluations.

It is a libertarian political ideology which maintains that the state's only legitimate function is the protection of individuals from aggression, theft, breach of contract or fraud.

A form of government in which the head of state reigns by some kind of perceived divine sanction. Usually hereditary and usually only one monarch. There are a few types of them.
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY - a form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his power not being limited by a constitution or by the law.
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY - A form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a Constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution. Eg: United Kingdom.
ELECTIVE MONARCHY - A monarchy ruled by an elected rather than hereditary monarchy. The manner of election varies. Eg: Malaysia - where the monarch is elected from 9 designated families. Cambodia
HEREDITARY MONARCHY - Most common type of monarchy where all the monarchs come from the same family.

A type of government or to be precise, the simple absence of public recognized government or enforced political authority. When used in this sense, anarchy may or may not imply political disorder or lawlessness within a society. In another sense, anarchy may not refer to a complete lack of authority or political organizations but instead refer to a social state characterized by absolute direct democracy or libertarianism (political philosophy that upholds individual liberty). In simple, absence of rule of law or governance according to law. Eg. What is now happening in Somalia is good example of anarchy.

A form of government in which the best qualified citizens rule.

An authoritarian government in which political power is concentrated in a leader or leaders, typically unelected by the people, who possess exclusive, unaccountable and arbitrary power.

A political system where the government, usually under the power of a single political person, faction or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. Eg: Rule of Josep Stalin and Adolf Hitler.

It is an association of sovereign member states that, by treaty, have delegated certain of their competences/or powers to common institutions, in order to coordinate their policies in a number of areas, without constituting a new state on top of the member states. Eg: Undivided Serbia and Montenegro, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now defunct).

A form of government characterized by single party rule, dominant party rule of a Communist Party and a professed allegiance to communist ideologies as the guiding factor. Eg: P.R.China, Laos, Vietnam, North Korea.

Also called "Klerostocracy" or "Lottocracy" - a form of government in which the state is governed by randomly selected decision makers who have been selected by sortition (lot) from a broadly inclusive pool of eligible citizens.

A form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. There are two types of democracy:
1. DIRECT DEMOCRACY - It is called the pure democracy. In this form of government, people collectively make decisions for themselves rather than through representatives. Eg: Switzerland.
2. REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY - A form of democratic government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people. Eg: India.