Comparative Approaches - Topic 6.3

Question 1

Similarities between the US and UK legislatures

In terms of rational theory

Answer 1

• The actions of leaders in Congress and Parliament can be defined by likely outcome and how that outcome might affect their own power - a defeat might weaken their position politically, if not literally
• Both legislatures serve as springboards for future political careers. Therefore, the actions of individuals may be guied by their aspirations

Question 2

Differences between the US and UK legislatures

In terms of rational theory

Answer 2

• The actions of MPs and members of Congress can be viewed through what is best for them and their careers - in the UK, this may engender party loyalty, while in the US, this means a keen focus on constituents
• The unelected nature of the House of Lords compared to the elected nature of the Senate leads to different outcomes in part due to the freedom, or not, that this gives to individuals

Question 3

Similarities between the US and UK legislatures

In terms of cultural theory

Answer 3

• The actions of individuals within both Congress and Parliament are strongly guided by the individual’s ideological coherence to their party’s belief
• The factions within parties, and the addition of caucuses in the USA, can sometimes lead to voting across party lines due to a cultural belief in an issue - this most likely occurs with moral and social issues
• Both lower and upper chambers can also be compared in terms of cultural expectations of how business in conducted. The lower houses are more adversarial, while there are more cultural convention about how business in the upper chambers
• There is a growing expectation in both countries that the representative bodies should reflect to some extent the make-up of the electorate

Question 4

Differences between the US and UK legislatures

In terms of cultural theory

Answer 4

• The elected Senate compared to the unelected House of Lords means the nature of these two houses is different, as the Lords has far-reduced party allegiance compared to the Senate

Question 5

Similarities between the US and UK legislatures

In terms of structural theory

Answer 5

• The political processes within both countries limit the influence of third parties, thereby encouraging and adversarial two-party within both legislatures

Question 6

Diffferences between the US and UK legislatures

In terms of structural theory

Answer 6

• The processes that guide the legislative putput of both houses are fixed and rigid. The additional impact of other processes such as the electoral system and the separation of powers within each country serves to produce vastly different legislative outputs in each country
• The ability to oversee the work of government is trongly affected by the structure of each legislature - Congress being directly elected and having direct checks on the president can achieve more than Parliament, which is dominated by the ruling party