Waples Chapter Four Vocabulary

Institutions

the executive and bureaucracy, the legislature, and the judiciary

Executive

The chief political power in a state, usually a president or prime minister

Bureaucracy

a large set of appointed or unelected official who implement or carry out policies

Legislature

a group of lawmakers that pass laws and represents citizens

judiciary

the systems of courts that interprets the laws and applies it to individual cases

Parliamentary system

A system in which the executive and legislature are fused

Prime Minister (PM)

The head of government in parliamentary or semi-presidential system

Coalition government

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

Member of Parliament (MP)

A representative in the legislature elected by citizens.

vote of no confidence

in parliamentary systems, a vote by parliament to remove a government (the prime minister and cabinet) from power

presidential system

A system in which the executive and legislature are elected independently and have separate and independent powers.

separation of powers

a division of power among the major branches of government

divided government

when one or both houses of the legislature are controlled by a political party other than the party of the president

semi-presidential system

a system that divides executive power between a directly elected president and a prime minister

term limit

A restriction on the number of terms the executive may serve

term of office

A specific number of years that an executive can serve.

impeachment

the process of removing a president from office before the end of their term

Cabinet

the heads of major departments or ministries in the bureaucracy

legislative oversight

The power of the legislature to hold cabinet officials and members of bureaucracy accountable for their actions and policies

unicameral legislature

a legislature with one chamber

Bicameral Legislature

legislature with two chambers

lower house

the legislative body in a bicameral system that typically has more members, shorter terms, and less prestige than the upper house, but it may be the more powerful body in the legislature

upper house

The legislative body in a bicameral system that typically has fewer members and may have more prestige but less power than the lower house.

common law

a legal system in which previous written opinions serve as precedent for future cases

code law

a legal system in which judges follow the law written by the legislature, and previous court decisions do not serve as precedent

Judicial Independence

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