Unit 8: Parliamentary, Presidential, and Legal Systems

Vocabulary flashcards identifying the differences between parliamentary and presidential systems, unicameral and bicameral legislatures, and the five major types of legal systems worldwide.

Parliamentary system

A system where there is a strong connection between the executive and legislative branches, typically led by a prime minister who is in charge of both branches.

Presidential system

A system where the balance of power between the branches is distinct, featuring different people in charge and limited overlap between the executive and legislative branches.

Proportional representation systems

A type of member selection in legislative elections that assigns a party a number of seats based on the support demonstrated by voters.

Plurality

A member selection system where voters directly choose a candidate, and the individual with the most votes wins the seat.

Mixed systems (electoral)

A unique combination of proportional representation and plurality systems for member selection.

Unicameral legislature

A legislative body that consists of only one chamber of decision makers.

Bicameral legislature

A legislative body that consists of two chambers of decision makers.

Presidential regimes

A democratic regime where officials are elected for a set amount of time and do not receive their power from legislation.

Parliamentary regimes

A democratic regime where the executive is picked by the legislature.

Semi presidential regime

A democratic regime that features both a president and a prime minister with dual authority.

Head of government (Presidential regime)

An official selected by popular election for a fixed term who is not responsible to legislation and is the same person as the head of state.

Head of government (Parliamentary regime)

An official selected by the legislature for a non-fixed term who remains responsible to the legislature.

Head of state (Semi presidential regime)

An official selected by popular election for a fixed term who holds dual authority with the head of government.

Head of government (Semi presidential regime)

Also known as the prime minister, this official is selected by the legislature and does not have a fixed term.

Common law

A legal system where judges can create laws to fill gaps by using past cases to interpret and reapply legal principles to current cases.

Civil law

A legal system that relies on a consistent set of codes containing all the laws for the country, making the judge's opinion second to the codes.

Islamic law (Religious legal system)

A system where law is based on religious texts, which serve as the first point for decision making by judges and courts.

Customary law system

A legal system based on community traditions and values, where rules are often only stated to a select group and not available for public access.

Mixed system (legal)

A legal system that combines variety of ruling types, taking certain pieces from different systems to create a functional framework.