Poli8

Why does the "rigidity" of the presidential system represent a threat to the entrenchment of democracy?

1) A president who has lost the confidence of his/her party cannot be replaced until his/her mandate expires. 2) Unless he/she acts in violation of the constitution, he/she can use his/her executive power against his/her political enemies without fear of being replaced until the end of his/her mandate. 3) "Voluntary resignation", offered as a solution to the rigidity problem, can also entail political instability if the constituents that voted for a President feel cheated at his/her replacement.

Describe the evolutionary development of the Parliament.

1) First, there is government by a monarch. 2) Secondly, an assembly of members arises to challenge the authority of the monarch. 3) Finally, the assembly takes over responsibility for governing, replacing the monarch and forming a Parliament.

Who holds executive power in a Parliamentary system? Who holds executive power in a Presidential system?

1) In a Parliamentary system, the executive is divided between the head of state and the head of government. Furthermore, executive power is shared between members of the ministry. 2) In a Presidential system, the President is the sole holder of executive power.

According to Verney, who appoints ministers/heads of departments in the Parliamentary and Presidential systems?

1) In the Parliamentary system, the government appoints the ministry. That is to say that the prime minister nominates ministers, but it is the head of state who appoints them. 2) In the Presidential system, it is the President who appoints the heads of departments. In some systems, these appointments are contingent on meeting the approval of another body of government.

Why does the "no reelection" principle of Presidentialism represent a threat to the entrenchment of democracy?

1) Time limits encourage a sense of urgency. Presidents might be willing to adopt ill-designed policies and try to push them forward too quickly. 2) Presidents often seek "successors" to implement their policies after their term has expired. According to Linz, the ideal quality of these successors is loyalty rather than competency.

Why does "dual democratic legitimacy" in Presidential systems represent a threat to the entrenchment of democracy?

According to Linz, given that both the Congress and the President are directly elected by a polity's constituency, it is unclear where power resides in a presidential democracy. If the majority in Congress and the President represent parties opposed on the ideological spectrum, both can use their de facto veto power to block each other's legislative proposals.

Name of the second chamber?

Britain: House of Lords US and Canada: The senate

What are the lower chambers called in US, Canada and Britain?

Canada and Britain: House of commons, US: House of representatives

Why could the "winner take all" facet of Presidentialism entail political instability in a developing democracy?

In a presidential system "losers lose all." That is to say that a polity's constituents who did not vote for the elected president do not have any representation in the government's executive. This coupled with the rigidity of the presidential system means that "losers" have to wait out the mandate of the "winning" president in order to get another crack at political power. According to Linz, individuals in developing democracies might be unwilling to wait 4-6 years and might decide to take matters into their own hands.

Whee

The three main functions of government are the making, the execution, and the interpretation of laws. These functions are performed by different branches of government: The legislature The executive The judiciary The Legislature The central task of the legislature is law production. Depending on the number of their chambers, legislatures may be either unicameral or bicameral . A veto player of a legislative process is defined as an actor whose consent is required for the status-quo bill to be changed and amended. In states with bicameral legislatures, the first or lower chamber is elected on the principle of popular representation, while the second or upper chamber is organized on the basis of some other principle. Legislative committees may be of three major types: permanent or standing • Standing committees are of a permanent nature; they are mandated to look after bills proposed in clearly defined issue or policy areas. ad hoc • In contrast to standing committees, the legislature may decide to form an ad hoc committee in order to examine and investigate a particularly sensitive issue, scandal, or problem of immediate and major concern to the population. joint • Finally, bicameral legislatures may appoint joint committees in order to resolve conflicts that may emerge between the two chambers in the legislative process or simply to ensure that representatives from both chambers are adequately involved in scrutinizing the government. The Executive • Collectively, the executive branch of government is responsible for implementing laws made by the legislature. • At the top of the hierarchy within the executive is the head of state, who not only symbolizes the unity of the state, but, depending on the constitution, may also have important and effective political powers. • In terms of selection, two main types of head of state may be identified: the elected and the hereditary. • In countries where the head of state is a non-hereditary office, the head of state is often called the president. • While the overwhelming majority of states have a single person performing the functions of the head of state, some states have a collegial chief executive. • Two principal types of executives exist based on the relationship between the heads of state and government: executives in which the two offices are held by the same person; and executive branches in which the two roles are played by different individuals (split executive). After the head of state, the head of government makes up the next rung in the executive hierarchy. The head of government is assisted by the council of ministers, or cabinet. The doctrine of collective cabinet responsibility encourages both teamwork and consensual decision making in the cabinet. Another doctrine to mention with respect to the practice of cabinet government is individual ministerial responsibility , which means that each minister is responsible for the affairs of the department, or ministry, that he or she heads. The doctrine of collective cabinet and individual ministerial responsibility significantly affect the powers of the head of government. In political systems where these doctrines are practiced, the head of government is essentially a primus inter pares , meaning that he is the first, or prime, minister among his ministerial colleagues who are technically considered his equals. Despite this seeming equality, prime ministers tend to be more powerful; they can unilaterally decide to call a vote of confidence . Presidential and Parliamentary Forms of Government There are three types of government: The presidential The parliamentary The semi-presidential The essential characteristics of the presidential government are: the direct election of the chief executive; executive and legislative terms that are fixed and independent of one another; the heading of the cabinet by the directly elected chief executive; and some legislative authority in the hands of the directly elected chief executive. These four characteristics promote a separation of powers between the executive and the legislature. The parliamentary form of government is characterized by the fusion of legislative and executive authority. The parliamentary form of government: does not have a directly elected chief executive; has terms of its executive and legislature that are contingent and interconnected; the executive can dismiss the legislature but its own term is dependent on the contingence of the legislature; has a head of state who normally appoints the head of government, who directs the composition of the cabinet; and has a head of state with no legislative authority. The third or mixed system is the semi-presidential, also called premier-presidential, system of government. This type of government is characterized by: the direct election of the chief executive (president); the wide range of powers granted to the directly elected president; and the presence of a cabinet and the prime minister who are subject to the confidence of the legislature. By virtue of the separate elections of the executive and the legislature in the presidential and the semi-presidential systems, it is possible that different political forces, or coalitions of political parties, will come to control the two branches of government. The phenomenon of divided partisan control of the executive and legislative branches is called divided government . According to some, a divided government creates deadlock between the two branches of government, reduces the efficiency of policy making, and slows down decision making.

To whom is the government responsible in Parliamentary and Presidential systems?

To whom is the government responsible in Parliamentary and Presidential systems?

Verney

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Can heads of departments be members of other braches of government?

No. According to the tenets of the Presidential system, heads of departments are not eligible for office in the assembly. For example, in the United States, heads of departments cannot hold positions in Congress, the Senate, or the Supreme Court. In the Parliamentary system, ministers are members of the assembly.