centralization

[sen-truh-luh-zey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or fact of centralizing; fact of being centralized.

2. the concentration of administrative power in a central government, authority, etc.

3. Chiefly Sociology.

   1. a process whereby social groups and institutions become increasingly dependent on a central group or institution.

   2. concentration of control or power in a few individuals.

Other Word Forms

• anticentralization adjective
• overcentralization noun
• procentralization adjective
• recentralization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of centralization¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; centralize + -ation

Example Sentences

The late Roman Empire undermined its commercial economy through centralization, regulation and debasing the currency.

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The great ironic twist is that having drawn on conspiracist narratives about the centralization and misuse of power, he is now moving aggressively to centralize and misuse power himself.

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He believes that as long as our financial structures maintain their centralization, the rich will get richer, and the poor will get poorer.

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Historically, SPS offered this in a cohort model, where HC students are concentrated in a few schools because centralization is cost-effective.

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But Albert Wu, an expert on governance in China, believes that role has been eroded by the centralization of power under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

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Related Words

• unification