Chapter_5Governing_Institutions_in_Democracies

Majoritarian democracy

A type of democracy that concentrates power in a single office and creates few institutional veto players.

Consensus democracy

A type of democracy that features multiparty executives, balance between executive and legislative branches, and rigid constitutions.

Political accountability

The ability of citizens to control political leaders and institutions either directly or indirectly.

Vertical accountability

The capacity of individuals or groups to hold state institutions accountable directly.

Horizontal accountability

The mechanisms through which institutions within the state check each other.

Executive

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

Legislature

The institution responsible for making laws.

Judiciary

The institution that interprets laws and adjudicates legal disputes.

Veto player

An individual or collective actor whose agreement is required to effect policy change.

Parliamentarism

A democratic model characterized by the fusion of executive and legislative branches.

Prime Minister

The head of government in a parliamentary system, often the leader of the majority party.

Vote of no confidence

A parliamentary vote that can force a Prime Minister to resign.

Presidentialism

A system where the head of state and head of government are the same person, the president.

Separation of powers

The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.

Gridlock

A situation in which there is little progress in passing laws, usually when different parties control the presidency and the legislature.

Coalitional presidentialism

A scenario where the president must form coalitions of parties in the legislature to pass laws.

Semipresidentialism

A system that splits executive power between an elected president and a Prime Minister.

Cohabitation

A situation in which the president and the prime minister come from different political parties.

Judicial review

The authority of courts to decide whether laws contradict the constitution.

Common law

A legal system based on precedent and judicial decisions, where past court rulings inform current cases.

Code law

A legal system where judges primarily apply written statutes, with past decisions considered irrelevant.

Judicial independence

The ability of judges to make decisions free from external pressures or influences.

Bureaucracy

A system of government where officials are appointed based on expertise and merit.

Principal-agent problem

The challenge of ensuring that bureaucrats act in accordance with the directives of elected officials.

New Public Management (NPM)

A movement advocating for radical reforms in bureaucratic operations to make them more market-based.

Rent seeking

The pursuit of financial gains through manipulating or exploiting government regulation without productive activity.

Federalism

A system of governance where power is divided between a central authority and subnational entities.

Unitary system

A system where the central government holds supreme authority and makes decisions for the entire state.

Asymmetrical federalism

A federal system where different states or provinces have varying powers or rights.