Why can a localiser be used without a glideslope, but not vice versa? An ILS consists, at its most basic, of two components: a localiser (to provide lateral guidance) and a glideslope (to provide vertical guidance).  The two are typically used together, for an ILS approach, but the localiser can also be used on its own, for a localiser-only, or simply localiser (LOC for short), approach (for instance, if the glideslope is inoperative or nonexistent, the aircraft lacks a functioning glideslope receiver, or the pilot is shooting a back-course approach).  For a localiser-only approach, the pilot uses a specified series of navigational fixes to mark off each segment of the approach; each of these segments has a specified minimum safe altitude (which is shown on the approach plate), and the pilot uses this information, and their onboard baroaltimeter, to maintain terrain clearance during the approach.

While localiser-sans-glideslope approaches are quite common, there are, to the best of my knowledge (feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken here), no examples of the reverse: a glideslope-sans-localiser approach, where the pilot uses the glideslope for vertical guidance but relies on ground- or satellite-based navigation fixes for lateral guidance.

What allows the use for an approach of a localiser without a glideslope, but not a glideslope without a localiser?
Adding to @J.Hougaard's practical reasons, there is one technical reason in the existing standards I can think of:

The identification signal (morse code) is provided by the localizer, not the G/S, so G/S-only approaches would be unidentifiable. (ICAO Annex 10 Vol 1 § 3.1.3.9)

Side note: I'm not sure if there can be a workaround for it using existing airborne equipment, since a G/S works on UHF (which is transparent to the pilot, i.e., the pilot only selects the LOC VHF frequency, and the G/S UHF frequency is simply paired).

The identification is likely one of the reasons behind the following:


  Inoperative localizer. When the localizer fails, an ILS approach is not authorized. (FAA AIM)


There is no mention of an operative G/S remaining. Whereas a failed G/S does not prohibit using the LOC for a LOC-only approach (after adjusting the minima).