Comparative Approaches - Topic 6.2

Question 1

Similarities between the US and the UK Constitutions?

In terms of rational theory

Answer 1

• Individual state and devolved governments fight for their own power over federal or central government to create policy for their region

Question 2

Differences between the US and the UK Constitutions

In terms of rational theory

Answer 2

• US citizens are used to having their right protected through the Bill of Rights and therefore can more easily fight for them than their UK counterparts, whose rights have been undermined by government and are protected by an unwritten and therefore more unclear constitution
• The separation of powers and checks and balances in the US Constitution allow its citizens greater individual influence and a greater number of access points than their UK counterparts

Question 3

Similarities between the US and the UK Constitutions?

In terms of cultural theory

Answer 3

• Cultural history explains the evolution of the constitutions of both countries - the US Constitution is codified as a result of violent uprising and the UK constitution is uncodified, having remained relatively free from such events
• The flexibility of both constituions is partly a result of cultural acceptance. In the US, the acceptance and enforcement of Supreme Court rulings as informal amendments update the Constitution. In the UK, there’s no public pressure for codification, accepting the status quo.

Question 4

Differences between the US and the UK Constitutions

In terms of cultural theory

Answer 4

• Citizens’ cultural expectation of the protection of rights is far higher in the US than the UK
• Amendments to the UK constitution are a result of cultural acceptance whereas in the US, cultural acceptance of the sovereignty of the US Constitution makes changes very difficult

Question 5

Similarities between the US and the UK Constitutions?

In terms of structural theory

Answer 5

• Political processes are outlined in the constituions of both countries
• The nature and strength of the government in both countries, and the limitations placed upon them, are a direct consequence of the political system in each country

Question 6

Differences between the US and the UK Constitutions

In terms of structural theory

Answer 6

• The vastly different amendment processes of the two countries are determined by the nature of their constitution
• The location of sovereignty both nationally and regionally, is a direct result of different political processes in the US and the UK