Chapter 12: Parliamentary, Presidential, and Semi-Presidential Democracies Flashcards
Different types of democracy
Presidential, Parliamentary, and Semi-presidential
What forms of government can form in a parliamentary democracy?
Single-party majority, minimal winning coalition, minority government, surplus majority
Office-seeking
Interested in the “intrinsic” benefits of office
Policy-seeking
Interested in influencing public policy
Legislative responsibility
A legislative majority has the constitutional power to remove the government from office without cause
A vote of no confidence
The mechanism in which the legislative majority can remove the government
A constructive vote of no confidence
Requires that a government can only be brought down if a legislative majority can agree on its replacement
A vote of confidence
Initiated by the government
Do presidential democracies have legislative responsibility?
No.
Can presidents exist in parliamentary and semi-presidential democracies as well?
Yes.
Presidential democracy
The government does not depend on a legislative majority to exist.
Parliamentary democracy
The governemt depends on a legislative majority to exist. The head of state is not popularly elected for a fixed term.
Semi-presidential democracy
The government depends on a legislative majority to exist. The head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term.
What does a parliamentary democracy consist of?
A prime minister (political chief executive) and a cabinet.
Doctrine of ministerial responsibility
Each minister is directly responsible to the cabinet for what happens in her department
Doctrine of collective cabinet responsibility
A minister might disagree with a policy in cabinet meetings, but once a cabinet decision has been made, each minister must defend the government policy in public
An investiture vote
When a government has to demonstrate that it has the support of a legislative majority before it can take office
Formateur
A chosen politician to initiate the government formation process
Informateur
A person who examines politically feasible coalitions and nominates a formateur
Cartaker government
An interrim government. Cannot make major policy initiatives.
Gamson’s law
A prime minister must give portfolios to other parties in proportion to the number of seats that each party contributes t othe government’s total number of legislative seats
What does a presidential democracy consist of?
The president (political chief executive, head of government and state) and his cabinet
When might coalition governments form in presidential systems?
If the president has a weak decree power and does not control a majority of legislative seats
Two different types of semi-presidential democracy?
Premier-presidential and president-parliamentary
What does a semi-presidential democracy consist of?
A prime minister and a cabinet
What is the difference between premier-presidential and president-parliamentary systems?
Whether the government is responsible for the government or not.
Premier: the president has no power to remove the government
P-P: the president has the power to remove the government
Cohabitation
Periods in which politicians from different political parties/blocs hold the presidency and prime ministership
Representative democracy
Citizens delegate power to their representatives in the legislature
Principle-agent, or delegation, problems
Agents might “shirk” for different reasons, such as conflicting preferences, or not being able to carrying out the assigned task
Agency loss
The difference between the actual consequence of delegation and the consequence that would have been if the agen had been perfect
What can happen when the agent had more information than the principal?
Adverse selection (agent has hidden attributes), and moral hazard (agent can take actions that are hidden)
Ex ante mechanisms
Principal learn about their agents before they act
Ex post mechanisms
Principal learn about their agents’ action after the fact
