14. PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS

Agenda

• Main features of presidential government

• Implications for delegation and accountability

• Politics under presidentialism

Presidential Government

• Definition: “a democratic system in which the legislature and the executive exist independently and are elected independently of each other”

• Key characteristics of pure presidentialism:

  • The survival of the government in office does not depend on the elected assembly.

  • The president is chosen by popular election.

Head of Government and Head of State

• Presidential System: The president serves as both the head of state and the head of government.

• Parliamentary System: The two roles are separated (the head of state may be a monarch or a ceremonial president).

Fixed-Term Nature of Presidential Office

• Difficulty in removing the president from office:

  • Impeachment: A formal process to remove the president, but it can be complex and politically charged.

• Other difficulties may arise in case of:

  • Death in office.

  • Inability to serve (e.g., health issues).

The “In-Between” Cases

• Semi-presidentialism: Some countries have a president elected by the people, but the survival of the government in office depends on the elected assembly. This situation is defined as:

Unusual Systems: Swiss Example

• In Switzerland:

  • The assembly elects the government (Federal Council).

  • The government’s term of office is fixed.

  • Its survival does not depend on the confidence of the assembly.

Delegation and Accountability

Agency Theory Recap

• Agency Theory:

  • The principal delegates tasks to an agent.

  • Interests of the principal and agent are not always aligned, posing the risk of agency loss.

  • The agent usually has an information advantage over the principal.

• Remedies for Agency Loss:

  • Selection of agents (ex ante).

  • Control of agents (ex post).

Delegation in Different Systems

I. Parliamentary Government

• Structure diagram with main entities:

  • Voters → Prime Minister → Parliament → Minister A & Department A.

  • Minister B & Department B.

II. Presidential Government

• Structure diagram with main entities:

  • Voters → President → Secretary A & Department A.

  • Upper Chamber → Secretary B & Department B → Lower Chamber.

Characteristics of Delegation in Presidentialism

• Features:

  • Multiple chains of delegation exist.

  • There is a system of checks and balances.

  • There is a stronger focus on ex post control vs. ex ante obstacles.

Accountability

• Definition: The ability of citizens to reward or sanction officials for their choices or behavior

• Relationship to delegation:

  • Retrospective Voting: Voters judge elected officials based on their past performance.

• Challenges in ensuring accountability:

  • Transparency of decision-making processes.

  • Influence of party brands on voter perception.

Politics Under Presidentialism

Executive-Legislative Relationships

• Names of the elected assembly:

  • Typically referred to as the legislature under presidentialism.

  • Commonly called parliament under non-presidentialism.

• In presidentialism:

  • Legislatures are often more independent.

  • They possess agenda-setting power and committee power.

  • There is less party control over legislators, leading to power diffusion.

Variability of Presidential Powers

• The powers of presidents vary considerably across different countries

• Types of powers:

  • Non-legislative Powers:

  • Cabinet formation.

  • Cabinet dismissal.

  • Dissolution of assembly.

  • Legislative Powers:

  • Veto power.

  • Decree power.

  • Introduction of legislation.

  • Budgetary powers.

Powers of the US President

• Non-Legislative Powers:

  • The president has fairly strong non-legislative powers:

  • Can name cabinet ministers, subject to Senate approval.

  • Can dismiss ministers at will (Congress does not have the power to dismiss cabinet or ministers).

  • Cannot dissolve Congress.

• Legislative Powers:

  • Limited to a package veto, with a possibility for a 2/3 override by Congress.

Presidentialism as a Threat to Democracy?

• Potential mechanisms leading to threats include:

  • Dual Legitimacy: Confusion generated when both the president and the legislature claim legitimacy.

  • Winner-Takes-All Politics: The adversarial nature of electoral politics may diminish collaboration.

  • Sense of Popular Mandate: May create intolerance towards opposition parties.

  • However, there is no clear empirical support found for this hypothesis

Concluding Remarks

• Presidentialism:

  • Characterized as one of the main forms of democratic government.

  • Key aspects emphasized:

  • Separation of powers.

  • Checks and balances.

  • Ex post control to manage agency problems.

  • Potential disadvantages include:

  • Rigidity in governance.

  • Policy gridlock arising from disagreement between branches.