Review of the Tiers of Government

There are seven levels of social territory and correspondingly seven tiers of political organization. We can now summarize the framework and then review various implications.

This Matrix-Table summarizes the Levels of Political Territory. For territory synonyms, go to the relevant webpages by clicking on the political organization.

Tier Political Territory Essential
Nature		 Political Organization Political
Value		 Primary Political Concern
7 The Earth Humanity sharing the planet Global Assembly
(UN aspires to this role.)		 Co-existence Promoting the rights of man and protection of the global ecosystem.
6 Group of similar adjacent countries Feelings of cultural commonality Consortium of Nation-states Harmony Developing wider cultural links and greater security.
5 Country with a Culture Cultural identity National Government Sovereignty Protecting the nation: its borders, and sense of cultural unity; plus doing what society requires.
4 Culturally-distinct Region Distinct sub-cultural and socio-geographic features. Regional Government Autonomy Sustaining and developing the regional cultural identity.
3 Town or District Area of daily travel for most services and recreation. Local Government Responsiveness Regulating the collective necessities of daily life.
2 Neighbourhood An area able to be walked around while getting to know many families. Neighbourhood Council Familiarity Regulating the immediate environment.
1 Physical Home Area for personal living. Household Privacy Regulating personal autonomy and belonging.

The distinction between politics and government, made at the outset, is further clarified here in that all 7 Levels are political in the sense of using power and wealth for the good of all;
but only 4 Levels are governmental in the sense of producing rules (laws) backed by force to ensure adherence.

  • L2, L3, L4, L5 are governmental—and use laws, regulations, or bye-laws.
  • L6 and L7 are supra-governmental—and use explicit agreements or protocols based on willingness of member states to legislate: expulsion of a member-state is possible for infringements.
  • L1 is infra-governmental—and uses conventions and household rules based on the disposition and willingness of inhabitants: punishment of residents or family members is governed by social norms; and expulsion from the household is possible. Unlike other tiers, an individual can create a household by their own efforts.

The most powerful tiers seem to be national-L5 and district-L3. Each has a wholeness and seeming self-sufficiency. However, that view may be misleading from a longer-term perspective. Changes in culture are what drive changes in political organization

The nation-L5 is often formed through conquest, and then its hold over its regions-L4 is necessarily weak unless it is determined to use violent force.

Although regional territories-L4 are often problematic, the intrinsic strength of their (sub)culture, determines the configuration of the nation-state, which is the element of any consortium-L6 and global assembly-L7.

Examples:Closed Scotland became part of Great Britain in 1707, but was never fully assimilated. Czechoslovakia, once free of Russian domination, rapidly broke up into the Czech and Slovak Republics.

The district-L3 is a function of people living in that district (i.e. households-L1) and changes in work-patterns or living arrangements can radically alter the political situation.

The views of households-L1 determine what counts as a neighbourhood-L2 and shape the district-L3. Life here is practical, and cultural issues are usually irrelevant unless stoked at higher tiers.

Racial tensions are not inevitable.Closed Different cultural and ethnic groups commonly lived peaceably together in towns and villages prior to cultural conflicts around nationhood: e.g. Hindus and Muslims prior to partition of India; Arabs, Jews and Christians prior to the creation of Israel.

Originally posted: August-2009; Last updated: 15-Nov-2010