Authors: Nohlen
Summary: In about 220 words the entry offers a general definition of the term and further elaborates specific developments that constitute centralization within one country. The entry also states central elements of a centralized state. Centralism is defined as the normative and structural tendencies to centralize cultural, political, administrative, and economic regulation capacities within states and societies. The entry illustrates the abstract definition with several examples, that range from the integration of regional sub-cultures to the adjustment of the organization of state functions in reaction to the increasing international interdependence. The constitutional ideal-type for centralism is the centralized state, which is defined by the absence of vertical separation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers and tax and financial autonomy at the highest level.