Difference between Unicameral and Bicameral is explained here in detail. The two terms, Unicameral and Bicameral are related to the state legislatures of the world. The legislature is an important organ of the government which is responsible to administer the laws in the country. Members are elected/nominated in the legislature and are delegated duties to perform various functions.
The terms, ‘Unicameral’ and ‘Bicameral’ have often confused IAS Exam aspirants hence, this article will help candidates understand the basic differences between these two.
Difference between Unicameral and Bicameral Legislature PDF:- Download PDF Here
The article will aid candidates’ preparation for UPSC Prelims and Mains GS-II Polity section as it talks about the basic terms used in Political Science subjects often.
Candidates can check the following links to strengthen their UPSC preparation:
It is a form of legislature where only one house (one central unit) exists to make and implement laws for the state/country. To understand it clearly, let’s categorize it into two parts:
In the case of Unicameral Union Parliament, the first example can be given of the country China where the National People’s Congress is the national legislature and is the highest organ of the nation. There is no other organ in China which administers laws for the country. A few other examples of the nations that have Unicameral National Legislatures are:
Out of 28 Indian States, there are 24 states which have a unicameral structure. The list of these states are given below:
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It is a legislative body with two houses. India is one such example where there are two houses both at union and also at 6 of its 28 states. In a bicameral legislature, the function to administer and implement the laws are shared between the two houses.
At the central level, the Indian Parliament has two houses:
At the state level, six of the 28 state legislatures have two houses:
The names of the six states having bicameral legislature are:
The differences that aspirants should know between the two for UPSC 2022 are given in the table below:
| Difference between Unicameral and Bicameral | ||
| Difference | Unicameral | Bicameral |
| Number of House | One | Two |
| Sharing of Power | Concentrated in one house | Shared between two houses |
| System of Government | Unitary | Federal |
| Decision-Making | Flexible and efficient as bills are introduced and passed in only a single house | Time-Consuming as both the houses have to pass the bill hence, their approval is a tedious task |
Aspirants should understand that unicameralism is mostly followed in countries or states having smaller sizes against bicameralism which appears in larger countries and states.
Difference between Unicameral and Bicameral Legislature PDF:- Download PDF Here
The major advantage of a bicameral system is that it can provide for checks and balances and prevent potential abuses of power, it can also lead to gridlock that makes the passage of laws difficult. A major advantage of a unicameral system is that laws can be passed more efficiently.
Unicameral legislation is used to describe a government with only one legislative house or chamber. The Parliament of Finland, for example, is unicameral. … When there is only one house, usually because the government is small or the country is homogeneous, it’s called unicameral.
Candidates can find out what are the topics in the UPSC Exams by visiting the UPSC Syllabus page. For more preparation materials they can refer to the links given in the table below.
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