comparing legislatures

Question 1

what are the similarities of the composition and structure? (congress vs parliament)

Answer 1

-both bicameral
-MPs/ representatives have limits on how long they serve for
-both pass laws and are the supreme law makers above the states/ devolved bodies
-both have representative political parties
-both check the power of the executive
-both lower houses (HoR and HoC) are elected

Question 2

what are the differences of the composition and structure? (congress vs parliament)

Answer 2

-committees play a much bigger role in the US than in the UK
-parliament is a multi-party institution whereas congress mostly only the 2 main parties
-parliament is more diverse than congress e.g. 46% of Labour’s current cabinet are women
-both houses of congress are elected, whereas in the Uk the House of Lords is an unelected chamber

Question 3

what are the similarities of both legislative processes?

Answer 3

N/A?

Question 4

what are the differences of both legislative processes?

Answer 4

-in the US the process happens at the same time in both houses, which can lead to gridlock of both houses don’t agree, whereas in the UK the process happens in the commons first then in the lords
-the committee stage is much more important in the US, as they decide whether a bill will go to debate or not
-the president has much more authority over a bill in the US than the monarch does in the UK - a monarch has not rejected a bill for 100s of years, whereas in the US the president often will delay or refer a bill back to the legislative authority if he doesn’t want it to be passed

Question 5

what are the similarities in the representation of both legislatures?

Answer 5

-both use delegate and trustee theory
-parliament represents the people through MPs, congress represents the people through senators and representatives
-MPs/ senators and representatives communicate with their constituents in similar ways e.g. through social media, surgeries

Question 6

what are the differences in the representation of both legislatures?

Answer 6

-in the US the mandate theory is not applicable because parties don’t produce manifestos
-in the US there is more opportunity to represent through sitting on a committee, as committees have much more influence

Question 7

what are the similarities in holding the executive to account(UK)/ oversight (US)?

Answer 7

-both use committees e.g. select committees (which mirror government departments) to scrutinise legislation

Question 8

what are the differences in holding the executive to account(UK)/ oversight (US)?

Answer 8

-the UK uses PMQs to pressure the PM
-the UK uses the official opposition to suggest alternatives and scrutinise
-the biggest method of oversight in the US is impeachment (e.g. when Trump was impeached), as even the threat of it is significant
-in the US lying to congress is a crime whereas it’s not in the UK