Unit 3: Political Institutions

Federal systems

a political system in which a state’s power is legally and constitutionally divided among more than one level of government

• usually have bicameral national legislatures (upper house represents state or provincial governments) (lower house represents individual voters)

Federalism

sees powers such as taxation, lawmaking, and security developed to regional bodies

• sharing of power between the state and federal government

• helps to represent local interests as well as check the growth of central power (can be seen as a threat to democracy)

• subnational governments have the power to check national legislation because the upper house often has the power to reject a bill from the lower chamber

Asymmetric Federalism

power is divided unevenly between regional bodies

• frequently proposed as a solution to the dissatisfaction that arises when one or more constituent units feel significantly different needs from the others

Unitary Systems

political power is concentrated solely to a central authority (national level) who holds supreme power and authority

• power is not divided between national and regional governments

• divided into provinces and “states” with some self-government

• national government can enlarge or restrict their authority at its discretion

• have unicameral legislature because there is no need you create a separate house for states and province that have little power

Devolution

occurs when the national government gives regional government more power and authority

Executive

the chief political power in a state, typically the single most powerful office in government

• referred to as president or prime minister

• responsible for carrying out the laws and policies of a state

• split into two distinct roles: head and state of government

• as head of state, they are symbolic to the country, authorized to speak in its behalf and represent, also implement the nation’s laws and policies

Head of State

a role that symbolizes and represents the people, both nationally and internationally, and may or may not have any real policy-making power

Head of government

deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, and usually directs the activities of other members of the executive branch

Bureaucracy

consists of agencies that generally implement government policy-they are generally appointed and not elected officials

• usually are a part of the executive branch

Legislative

the branch of government charged with making laws

• may be a bicameral with two houses, or unicameral with only one

Bicameralism

two houses (legislative branch)

Unicameralism

one house (legislative branch)

Judiciary

system of courts that interprets the law and applies it to individual cases

• usually, a supreme court that represents the highest level of judiciary

Judicial review

allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality

• used to protect human rights

parliamentary system

often have two-executives-a head of state, who performs ceremonial duties and a head of government who is in charge if policymaking

• originates in the United Kingdom

• power is within the legislature and there are some checks within government institution

• executive and legislative provides for a power head of government

• do not have fixed terms of office, allowing prime minister to serve long terms as long as they maintain the support of their party and their party remains in power

• can change policy quickly and with little compromise because the PM is from the majority party

prime minister

The executive and member of legislature that is the head of government in the parliamentary system

• help to lead the executive branch, set policies, oversee the cabinet, and usually come from a majority party in the legislature

• ascends to that role as the leader of the majority party in the legislature

• when they get their seat, it is possible for the parliamentary majority to lose confidence in them allowing a vote of no confidence that forces them to resign if enough votes come through

coalition government

Where two or more parties agree to work together to form a majority and select a prime minister

• A government formed when no single party wins a majority in parliament, so multiple parties join together to create a majority and share power

• majority party in parliament selects the prime minister following the elections

member of parliment (MP)

An elected representative in the legislature (parliament) who makes laws, represents constituents, and support or oppose the government

• a vote for MP is indirectly a vote for their party’s leader to serve as prime minister

vote of no confidence

done when a parliamentary majority lose confidence in the prime minister allowing for their removal if there are enough votes

• following the votes, the leading party in parliament can choose a new leader as prime minister, or the resigning prime minister can call for new parliamentary elections

presidential system

executive and legislative branches are elected independently and have separate and independent powers

• head of state and head of government are filled by the president

• presidents usually serve a fixed term, with many countries imposing term limits

• divided government can occur due to different parties of legislative and executive

separation of powers

sees a division of power amongst the major branches of government

• each branch has their own job and can’t take over any other jobs from the other

• The defining aspect of a presidential system

divided government

when the president and legislature being elected independently of one another

• this can lead to a diminished sense of public confidence in the government

• refers to a political situation where different political parties control the executive and legislative branches of a state's government.

• elected in separate (and possibly concurrent) elections

semi-presidential system

splits executive power between an elected president and a prime minister

• to be successful the powers and duties of the president and prime minister as dual executives must be spelled out in the constitution

• the president is elected by the people and serves as head of state, and has significant powers in running the government

• the prime minister is the head of government

• in some countries the president can appoint the prime minister with the consent if the lower house of parliament

• parliament can still force the prime minister and cabinet to resign through a vote of no confidence

• to be successful powers duties must be divided but at times is not always defined which can allow the president

• to be more powerful than the prime minister

• less likely to pass legislation to change policies, and when they do, change will take longer and be more expensive than in parliamentary systems due to divided government

commander-in-chief

the executive branch (president’s) role in the military, which gives that person the authority to deploy troops abroad and, under certain circumstances, at hom

term limits

the number of times the executives (president) are allowed to serve

• more common in presidential systems

• used to prevent an executive from consolidating too much power, personalizing rule, and becoming a dictator

term of office

the executive’s term is a specified number of years

• provides for a predictable schedule of elections

• more common in presidential systems

• usually is reserved for the presidential system

executive removal

means the process or mechanism by which a head of government or executive leader (like a president or prime minister) can be taken out of office before their term ends

• In presidential systems, this usually happens through impeachment (a legal process often requiring legislative approval).

• In parliamentary systems, executives (prime ministers and their cabinets) can be removed through a vote of no confidence in the legislature

• The PM loses an election in parliament losing their seat, removed as party leader from the majority party when they lose favor, or through no vote of confidence in the legislature on the whole

How is the Prime Minister Removed In A Parliamentary System?

• In parliamentary systems, executives (prime ministers and their cabinets) can be removed through a vote of no confidence in the legislature

• The PM loses an election in parliament losing their seat

• removed as party leader from the majority party when they lose favor, which they are then replaced

• through a no vote of confidence in the legislature on the whole

• easier to remove an executive in a parliamentary system than a presidential system

How is the President Removed In A Presidential System?

• legislature has the power to remove the president through impeachment (requires proof that the president has committed a serious crime while also requiring 2/3 of the vote from Congress)

• harder to remove a president because members that follow the Presidential party can hold enough seats to overpower the ones who want them removed

impeachment

legislative determines if the president should be removes based off if they think the president meets the constitutional standards for removal

• the legislative branch has the power to remove the president from office with a 2/3 vote

patron-client system

An informal relationship where powerful leaders provide resources, jobs, or protection in exchange for political support or loyalty.

meritocracy

A system where officials are chosen and promoted based on ability, qualifications, and performance instead of connections or wealth.

cabinet system

A group of high-ranking officials (heads of major departments or ministries within the government) who advise the head of government and lead executive departments

• these departments oversee policy in major areas such as treasury, defense and education

• In parliamentary these members hold seats in the legislature and are usually chosen from the leadership of the majority party

• In a presidential system the executive can appoint their members/secretaries

legislative oversight

The power of the legislature to monitor and check the executive branch, including reviewing laws’ implementation and questioning officials

• have power of the purse

• may write laws that are as specific as possible to limit bureaucratic discretion in implementing them, or may be written vaguely to give more discretion in how to navigate tricky parts of the law

• may have the power to investigate cabinet heads and other members of the bureaucracy

power of the purse

The legislature’s control over government spending, taxation, and budget approval

bureaucratic discretion

The ability of bureaucrats (government officials) to make decisions in implementing laws and policies, since laws are often vague.

common law

a legal system in which judges make decisions by applying a precedent (a previous written decision that applies a rule to be applied in similar cases in the future)

• looks at past cases to make decisions for future cases

• parties can make an appeal if they find a lower court made an error in applying the law which can enhance rule of law, because the facts, issues, decisions, and rulings are written down and applied as precedent for future cases

precedent

a previous written decision that applies a rule to be applied in similar cases in the future

code law

a legal system where judges follow the law as written by the legislature instead of following precedent set by previous court decisions

• the countries (that follow) usually have a special court that handles constitutional decisions

judicial independendence

the ability of judges to decide cases according to the law, free of interference from politically powerful officials or other institutions

• nations that lack this for their courts generally see high levels of corruption from higher ranking officials and wealthy citizens (court may accept bribes)