Political Systems: Executives-Parties and Federal-Unitary Dimensions

INTRODUCTION

  • The study analyzes the cluster of variables in political systems, identifying a key exception where these variables separate into two dimensions:
    • Executives-Parties Dimension
    • Federal-Unitary Dimension

Executors-Parties Dimension

  • This dimension consists of five characteristics related to the organization of executive power, party systems, electoral systems, and interest groups:
    1. Concentration of Executive Power:
    • Majoritarian Model: Single-party majority cabinets.
    • Consensus Model: Executive power-sharing in broad multiparty coalitions.
    1. Executive-Legislative Relationships:
    • Majoritarian: Executive is dominant.
    • Consensus: Balanced power between executive and legislative bodies.
    1. Party Systems:
    • Majoritarian: Two-party system.
    • Consensus: Multiparty systems.
    1. Electoral Systems:
    • Majoritarian: Disproportional electoral systems.
    • Consensus: Proportional representation systems.
    1. Interest Group Systems:
    • Majoritarian: Pluralist systems with free competition among interest groups.
    • Consensus: Coordinated and corporatist interest group systems aimed at compromise and concertation.

Federal-Unitary Dimension

  • This dimension delineates differences between federal and unitary government structures with five key aspects:
    1. Government Structure:
    • Unitary and centralized government versus federal and decentralized government.
    1. Legislative Power Distribution:
    • Concentration in a unicameral legislature versus division between two equally empowered houses.
    1. Constitutional Flexibility:
    • Flexible constitutions amended by simple majorities versus rigid constitutions requiring extraordinary majorities for amendments.
    1. Judicial Review:
    • Legislatures having final say on constitutionality of legislation versus systems with judicial review by constitutional courts.
    1. Central Bank Independence:
    • Central banks dependent on the executive versus independent central banks.

Explanation of the Dimensions

  • A proposed explanation for this two-dimensional pattern comes from classical federalism theorists:
    • Key Theorists:
    • Ivo D. Duchacek (1970)
    • Daniel J. Elazar (1968)
    • Carl J. Friedrich (1950)
    • K. C. Wheare (1946)
    • Contemporary scholars support these theories (Colomer 2011; Hueglin and Fenna 2006; Stepan 2001; Watts 2008).
  • Scholars suggest that federalism possesses both primary and secondary meanings:
    • Primary Definition: Guaranteed division of power between central and regional governments.
    • Secondary Characteristics: Include:
    1. Bicameralism: Strong bicameral structures in legislature.
    2. Rigid Constitution: Must allow for clear, unchangeable division of power.
    3. Judicial Review: A neutral arbiter must resolve conflicts about power distribution.
    4. Decentralization Promotion: Federalism's main goal.
  • The characteristics of federalism align with the initial four variables of the federal-unitary dimension.