GOVT 203-Chapter 9

Even without being enacted into a formal law, the executive can make an order with the force and enforceability of a law despite not being passed through a legislature

*Explain each power and how it may benefit executives: decree

The head of government can dissolve the legislature and call for a new election, which can work in his/her favor if his/her party is particularly popular at the moment of dissolution

*Explain each power and how it may benefit executives: dissolution

Executives can determine how the bureaucracy should enact or interpret a law giving the executive greater say in the implementation of a law (only applies to the bureaucracy)

*Explain each power and how it may benefit executives: executive order

The president can stop laws from being enacted, but can often be outvoted by a supermajority of the legislature. This helps the executive because he/she has a great deal of power over public policy

*Explain each power and how it may benefit executives: veto

The exceptions are frequent in 1990s Latin America in which populist leaders did not spend excessively. This illustrates that the power of the populist leader could stem from the weakness of other institutions rather than excessive government spending.

*What are the exceptions and what may this say about the real source of populist power (Roberts)?

A populist leader is one who campaigns to the people to get his/her power rather relying on political factions. They are common in presidential systems because the citizenry rather than the parliament in this system of government elects presidents.

*What is a populist leader; why are they common in presidentialism?

In order to remain popular with the people, he/she might spend money excessively in order to appear in favor of the people; however, this ends up harming the economy over time.

*What two tools do many populist leaders use to reinforce their power?

China is a bureaucratic-authoritarian regime, meaning that organizations are more important than the individual. The head of state, the head of the governing party, and the commander-in-chief. The premier presides over the legislature, is appointed by the president, and confirmed by the legislature.

*a) China's paramount leader holds three formal positions. b) Another leader holds a fourth.

Prime Minister

A chief executive in a parliamentary system of government

State of Emergency

A condition allowed by some constitutions in which guarantees, rights, or provisions are temporarily limited, to be justified by emergencies or exceptional circumstances

Grand Coalition

A governing coalition composed of two or more major parties that hold a supermajority of legislative seats and represent a supermajority of the electorate

Minimum Winning Coalition

A governing coalition that contains no surplus parties beyond those required to form a government

Minimum Size

A governing coalition that is closest to the threshold needed to govern, typically 50% of the legislative seats plus one

Coalition

A group of two or more political parties that governs by sharing executive power and responsibilities

Monarch

A head of state in a monarchy, who usually inherits a position for life and may have either substantial political powers or very limited ceremonial powers

Minimum Connected Winning Coalition

A minimum winning coalition in which all parties in the coalition are "connected" or adjacent to one another on the political spectrum

Semi-Presidential System

A mixed or hybrid system combining aspects of presidentialism and parliamentarism

Head of State

A person with executive functions that is a country's symbolic representative, including elected presidents and unelected monarchs

Populism

A political approach in which leaders, often heads of government and top executive branch officials, make direct appeals to "the people" and seek to develop direct popular ties with the masses

Impeachment

A process by which a legislature initiates proceedings to determine whether an official, often a top-ranking executive official, should be removed from office

Presidentialism

A system of government in which a president serves as chief executive, being independent of the legislature and often combining the functions of head of state and head of government

Parliamentarism

A system of government in which the head of government is elected by and accountable to a parliament or legislature

Vote of No Confidence

A vote taken by a legislature that expresses a lack of support for the government or executive, which, if successful, often results in the dissolution of the government and the calling of new legislative elections

Veto

An act of executive power in which an executive rejects a law passed by a legislature

President

An executive leader that typically combines the functions of head of state and head of government, and is not directly responsible to a legislature

Decree

An executive-made order that has the force of law, despite not being passed through a legislature

Executive Order

An order made by a chief executive or top official to the bureaucracy that determines how the bureaucracy should enact or interpret the law

Under parliamentary systems, the legislative representatives can remove the prime minister from office at any point with a vote of no confidence. For this reason, the regime is more stable because democracy is not at stake with the failure of a president. This is seen with Italy because, despite it's history with high turnover of prime ministers, the regime has remained a parliamentary system.

As Italy shows, under parliamentarism, government crisis do not become regime crises; explain.

Mexican presidents all came from the same party up until 2000 - the PRI - the same party that held the majority in legislature and the cabinet (since the members were appointed by the president). Therefore, the president and his government were able to push through legislation because of party cohesion.

Before 2000, partisan powers gave Mexican presidents control of legislators, cabinet and (thus) policy; explain.

The head of government is in charge of executing laws; whereas, the head of state is more of a ceremonial position as the representative person of that state. (President vs. Prime Minister/Monarch)

Contrast a) the role of head of government and head of state and b) two examples of officials who hold each post.

1. First past the post would make the candidate with the majority win, but not necessarily best represent the populous. 2. Runoff elections would better represent the populous, but it requires extra time, money, and effort to pick a winner. 3. Electoral systems require representatives to vote following the outcome of each state for a president (Electoral college)

Describe the three ways of selecting a president in presidentialism; what are the drawbacks of each?

In order to pick the prime minister, the people would elect representatives who would then elect the PM, without the direct election of the head of government as in a presidential system.

Describe the two step process for selecting parliamentary heads of government; contrast it with picking presidents

Consociationalism is a system that uses formal mechanisms to coordinate different groups sharing access to power. This means that different political parties and interest groups, along with social classes and ethnic/regional groups, share power amongst themselves. This is important because it is more representative of the people and allows for more cooperation within the country.

Explain a) consociationalism and its purpose.

In terms of having the laws executed, the executive, in partnership with the bureaucracy, figures out how to implement the policy throughout the country.

Explain the role executives play in laving laws executed

Executives can influence public opinion in order to push the legislature to pass a law or they can work with the legislature to create laws.

Explain the two roles all democratic executives play in making laws

Mao held all of the positions, but Deng only held a small proportion. However, he still controlled the power because he could manipulate those who held the other jobs through personalist networks.

For c) Mao and Deng, holding top posts is more a reflection of power than a source of it.

Leaders since Mao have had less control because the regime is much more institutionalized. Therefore, their power stems from the approval of party members.

For more recent leaders, holding top posts is more a reflection of power than a source of it.

Two or more major parties hold a supermajority in legislature

Grand Coalition

Coalitions are built when members of the parties decide to compromise in policy and administrative/ministry positions in order to achieve the goals of the parties involved.

How are coalitions built?

In parliamentary systems, the powerful actors can share power with a grand coalition or an advisory council of the leading elites.

How can consociationalism work in parliamentary systems?

In a presidential system, presidential parties can alternate in elections in order to represent highly polarized groups within the country.

How can consociationalism work in presidential systems?

Because the Communist party elects the paramount leader, he must already wield a great amount of power and run the party in order to be elected. Therefore, his power does not stem from the title but from the power he yields within the party.

How do Chinese leaders get power?

The courts matter because they can declare laws passed by the president "unconstitutional," thus limiting the power of the executive.

How do the courts limit the power of a president?

The president can veto a bill or secure its passage. If he/she vetoes the bill, then the legislature can override that with a supermajority.

How does the Constitution affect the power of the US president to block bills?

The president cannot propose bills as the Constitution limits that to the legislature.

How does the Constitution affect the power of the US president to propose bills?

However, the president can veto a bill or secure its passage. If he/she vetoes the bill, then the legislature can override that with a supermajority. In order to secure a bill's passage, the president must have the support of the majority of both houses in Congress.

How does the Constitution affect the power of the US president to secure a bill's passage?

Also, Congress can limit the funding available to the executive if both houses do not agree with the way in which the president spends his/her money. This comes down to the legislature's power of the purse.

How does the Constitution affect the power of the US president to spend?

It is democratic because the president is elected and leaves office after the term ends, but it is not democratic because he/she can do relatively anything he/she wants while in office.

How is delegative democracy democratic and not democratic?

A great deal depends on whether or not there is a divided government because the two branches only work in harmony when they are in agreement. When they are not, when there is a divided government, there is policy gridlock.

How much of the president's power depends on whether there is a divided government?

Government

In the context of executives, the set of top elected executive officials and high-level political appointees that shape and orient policy; also refers to the broader administrative apparatus of the state

Semi-Presidential systems have a directly elected president as the head of state and an indirectly elected prime minister as the head of government, mixing elements of the two systems. Initially, the president chooses the prime minister. It is essential that the president has more power in order to achieve more. (Strong party)

In what ways does semi-presidentialism resemble presidentialism and parliamentarism, respectively?

Includes the median party in the middle of the political spectrum

Median Party

Minimum winning and parties are connected on policy spectrum

Minimum Connected Winning

Fewest number of parties needed to form majority

Minimum Number of Parties

Minimum number of spaces between parties on policy spectrum

Minimum Range

As close as possible to minimum number of seats needed (often 50%)

Minimum Size

No extra or surplus parties that are not needed to govern

Minimum Winning

Three or more parties run the legislature, but no one party has a 50% majority

Minority Government

Term Limit

Restriction on the number of times or total amount of time a political official can serve in a given position

Consociational

Systems that use formal mechanisms to coordinate different groups sharing access to power

Executive

The branch of government, or the individuals at the top of the branch, that executes or administers policies and laws in a country

Administration

The bureaucracy of state officials, usually considered part of the executive branch, that executes policy

If the executive has a legislative majority among his/her party/coalition, then he/she will be much more successful in passing legislation.

The executive's power over legislation is also dependent on how much partisan power he/she possesses; explain.

Cabinet

The group of senior officials in the executive branch, including ministers, who advise the head of government or head of state

Bureaucracy

The organization of unelected officials, often considered part of the executive branch, that implements, executes, and enforces laws and policies

Partisan Powers

The powers accruing to a government official, such as a chief executive, by virtue of the official's leverage or power over members of a political party

Formal Powers

The powers possessed by a political actor, such as a chief executive, as a function of their constitutional or legal position

Dissolving the Legislature

The practice of a chief executive disbanding the legislature, often accompanied bin a democratic regime by the calling for new elections

Clientelism

The practice of exchanging political favors, often in the form of government employment or services, for political support

Portfolio

The set of duties and tasks that correspond to a given ministerial office

Executive-Legislative Relations

The set of political relationships between the executive branch of government, which executes laws/policies, and the legislative branch, which often has the authority to pass those laws/policies

Head of Government

The top executive official responsible for forming governments and formulating and implementing policies

Patronage

The use of government favors, typically in the form of employment, to garner political support

Informal Powers

Those powers possessed by an office holder that are not "official" but rather based on custom, convention, or other sources of influence

Periodic elections, constitutional limitations, separation of powers (both in branches and in state/national systems), and term limits can all check the power of democratic executives.

What are formal checks on all democratic executives?

Presidents can also be checked with judicial review of executive acts, public rebukes, power of the purse over the executive, term limits and impeachment

What are formal checks unique to presidents?

Prime Ministers can be checked with the vote of no-confidence, in which he/she can be removed from office by a simple majority vote.

What are formal checks unique to prime ministers?

Two informal powers are the ability of the executive to influence public debate and public opinion through patronage, clientelism, alliances, and coalitions

What are two informal executive powers?

Delegative democracy is a highly centralized form of democracy in which the president feels he/she has been "delegated" power for a period of time rather than acting as a representative of the people. This means that he/she is relatively unchecked by the courts and the legislature. This can only occur in presidential systems in which there are term limits rather than power stemming from the legislature.

What is delegative democracy and why is it common in presidential systems?

The parliament will want to work as a team in order to remain the majority and have the prime minister of the same party in office since they run on the same ticket. Therefore, there is stronger party cohesion.

What key feature of parliamentary checks and balances limits the head of government?

The parliament has the power to choose/dispose of the Prime Minister at any point. This strengthens the head of government at the time of his/her election because he/she has the support of the majority of the legislature. However, when he/she loses that majority, he/she loses his/her power.

What key feature of parliamentary checks and balances strengthen the head of government?

Presidents need support of the majority in order to pass legislation. If there is a proportional system of representation, then he/she will most likely form a coalition in order to achieve that majority.

Why do many presidents need coalitions?

Since prime ministers are elected from the majority party, they need the support of the majority of the legislature in order to be elected, as well as to pass legislation. For that reason, they form a coalition in order to achieve that support.

Why do most prime ministers need coalitions?

Indirect Election

With regard to executives, an electoral system in which most voters never cast a ballot directly for the individual who becomes head of government

Direct Election

With regard to executives, an electoral system in which voters cast a vote directly for the head of government or head of state

However, presidential systems are much more stable because there is much less frequent government turnover. In the time since the end of WWII, there have been 12 US presidents and 40 prime ministers in Italy. This illustrates that parliamentary systems are not nearly as stable.

Yet one could also argue that government stability under presidentialism is better for policy; explain.

Russia has a semi-presidential system like France. Putin reduced the PM to a VP this reducing the power of the legislature because he was in a "powerful presidency." However, once Putin's term ended, he switched with the PM to stay in power. He still maintained the degree of power because he is naturally a powerful leader. He was able to achieve this through his personalist networks and influencing/control of the media.

a) Formally Russia's top executive positions are like France's, b) Putin's informal power make that moot; explain.