The unitary system of governance entails a process by which the activities of an institution, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, framing strategy, and policies, become concentrated within a particular geographical location or group. As such, important planning and decision-making power are possessed by a central authority. Unitary systems are often viewed positively because of their superior capacity to mobilize resources and rapidly implement policies. For example, some studies demonstrate that unitary political systems are more successful in mobilizing revenue with a minimum of backlash (Boffa, Piolatto, & Ponzetto, 2016).

The study found that centralization is not an instrument of sustainable peace in South Sudan. It was found that the people of South Sudan were not properly consulted when the current system was being designed: Consultation was through opinion polls and at regions. The study found that most respondents didn’t feel that the unitary system is generally serving the country well. The study further found that the challenges of realizing sustainable peace are mainly economic and that a federal system would be better at removing the challenge because it would spur economic development in addition to facilitating the realization of better service delivery, administrative efficiency, unity, and healthy competition.