AP Comp Gov Unit #2: Political Institutions

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Legislative Branch

part of government responsible for writing laws and major policies.

Executive Branch

part of government responsible for implementing laws through the government's bureaucracy.

Judicial Branch

part of government responsible for hearing cases, and applying and interpreting laws to resolve legal disputes.

Head of State

executive leader who represents a nation in ceremonial functions; in some governments can also have formal powers to shape foreign policy.

Head of Government

executive leader sometimes known as a chief executive who formulates, implements and enforces policies through the cabinet and different agencies.

Parliamentary Systems

when a national legislature has combined lawmaking and executive functions with the power to select and remove a prime minister who acts as head of government.

Presidential System

when separate election processes are used in the selection of the president and the national legislature; president serves as head of state and head of government who oversees the bureaucratic implementation of executive regulations and laws written by the legislature.

Semi-Presidential System

when separate election processes are used in the selection of the president and the national legislature; president serves as head of state and selects the head of government, with the legislature's approval, to shape policies and implement the legislature's laws.

Executive Term Limits

institutional constraints on the length of time a head of state or head of government can serve in office. The United Kingdom is the only AP Comparative country with no formal executive term limit on its head of state and head of government.

No-Confidence Vote

used in parliamentary systems as a method for the legislature to remove the prime minister as head of government.

Impeachment

used in presidential systems as a method for the legislature to remove the president and other executive officials from office.

Fixed-Term Election System

system in which elections for public officials take place on a regularly announced established date.

Executive Bureaucracy

the system of governmental agencies that implement executive regulations and laws written by the legislature.

Question Time

allows majority members of a legislature to indicate representation of the interest of their constituencies (distriets) and allows the opposition party to verbally challenge the majority party governance and policy making.

Executive Cabinet

top governmental officials in charge of formulating, implementing, and enforcing policy through different methods and bureaucratic agencies.

Commander in Chief

top governmental official in charge of decisions pertaining to the military.

Unicameral

a legislature consisting of one chamber.

Bicameral

a legislature consisting of two chambers. (one upper, one lower)

Legislative Independence

ability of a legislature to openly debate policies, facilitate compromises between different factions and to hold an executive accountable by restraining growth and abuse of executive power.

Prime Minister

when the leader of the national legislature is also the head of government who is in charge of formulating, implementing, and enforcing policy through different methods and bureaucratic agencies.

Civil Service

permanent members of bureaucratic agencies who implement laws and governmental regulations.

Parliamentary Hybrid

term that describes Russia's semi-presidential system in which a directly elected president appoints the prime minister of the national legislature's lower chamber. (Duma)

Judicial Appointments

process of nominating and approving judges in a judicial system.

Judicial Independence

ability of judges to interpret the law with minimal influence by other political and govermental officials to maintain a separation of powers; ability of judges to restrain abuse of governmental power by executives and legislators and uphold civil liberty protections.