gov unit 2 comp

• Legislative branch - a part of the gov responsible for writing laws and major policies 

• Executive branch - part of the gov responsible for implementing laws through the government’s bureaucracy 

• Judicial branch - part of the gov responsible for hearing cases, and applying and interpreting laws to resolve legal disputes 

• Head of state - executive leader who represents a nation in ceremonial functions; in some governments can also have formal powers to shape foreign policy 

• Head of government - executive leader sometimes known as a chief executive who formulates, implements and enforces policies through the cabinet and different agencies 

• Parliamentary systems - when a national legislature has combined lawmaking and executive functions with the power to select and remove a prime minister who acts as a head of government 

• Presidential systems - when separate election processes are used in the selection of the president and the national legislature; president serves as head of state and head of government who oversees the bureaucratic implementation of the executive regulations and laws written by the legislature 

• Semi-presidential system - when separate election processes are used in the selection of the president and the national legislature; president serves as a head of states and selects the head of government, with the legislature’s approval, to shape policies and implement the legislature's laws 

• Executive term limits - institutional constraints on the length of time a head of state or head of gov can serve in office. The UK is the only AP comp country with no formal executive term limit on its head of state and head of gov 

• No confidence vote - used in parliamentary systems as a method for legislature to remove the prime minister as head of government 

• Impeachment - used in presidential systems as a method for the legislature to remove the president and other executive officials from office  

• Fixed term election system - in which elections for public offices take place on a regularly announced established date 

• Executive bureaucracy - is a system of governmental agencies that implement executive regulations and laws written by the legislature 

• Question time - allows majority members of a legislature to indicate representation of the interest of their constituencies (district) and allows the opposition party to verbally challenge the majority party governance and policy making 

• Executive cabinet - top governmental officials in charge of formulating, implementing, and enforcing policy through different methods of bureaucratic agencies 

• Commander in chief - top government official in charge of decision pertaining to the military 

• Unicameral - a legislature consisting of one chamber 

• Bicameral - a legislature consisting of two chambers 

• Legislative independence - ability of legislature to openly debate policies, facilitate compromises btw different factions and to hold an executive accountable by restraining growth and abuse of executive power 

• Prime minister - when the leader of the national legislature is also the head of government who is in charge of formulating, implementing, and enforcing policy though different methods and bureaucratic agencies 

• Civil service - permanent members of bureaucratic agencies who implement laws and governmental regulations 

  Parliamentary hybrid - term that describes russia’s semi presidential system in which a directly elected president appoints prime minister of the national legislature’s lower chamber 

Judicial Independence - ability of judges to interpret the law with minimal influence by other political and governmental officials to maintain a separation of powers; ability of judges to restrain abuse of governmental power by executives and legislators and uphold civil liberty protections