Unit 2 Political Institutions

Head of State

Executive leader who represents a nation in ceremonial functions; in some governments, they 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

Fusion of Powers

Combined lawmaking and executive functions

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 Systems

When separate election processes are used in the selection of the president and 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 Systems

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

Parliamentary Hybrid System

Describes Russia’s semi-presidential system in which a directly elected president appoints the prime minister of the national legislature’s lower chamber (Duma)

Censure

An official rebuke of a government official

Executive branch

Part of government responsible for implementing laws through the government’s bureaucracy

Legislative Branch

Part of government responsible for writing laws and major policies

Judicial Branch

Part of government responsible for hearing cases and applying and interpreting laws

Judicial Review

The power of the highest court to overturn decisions made by the executive and legislative branches and lower courts

Impeachment

The process to remove the president, cabinet officials, and judges in a presidential system

Executive Term Limits

Institutional constraints on the length of time a head of state or head of government can serve in office

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 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

Command in chief

Top governmental official in charge of decisions pertaining to the military

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

Unicameral Legislative Structure

Consists of one chamber of representatives

Bicameral Legislative

Structure that consists of two chamber of representatives

Political Institutions

Structure of a political system that are responsible for governing

Rule of Law

Principle that a state should be governed by known laws

Rule by Law

Based upon arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials