Exam 1 Flashcards
What is presidential systems?
seperation of executive & legislative powers controlled by different offices.
Executive= president
legislative= house of representatives
What is parliamentary systems?
fusion of execuitve & legislative power.
What is Mixture of both powers?
It is a semi presidental system (france)
What makes a Presidental system?
Direct elections
executive is president
head of govt and state
constitutional difference in legislature & executive (seperation of power)
Can president name cabinet members?
Yes but need approval by senate
Is a election required for cabinet members in presidential system?
no election is required as long as they have senate experience
can president dismiss legislative or executive? (Presidential system)
No unless impeached
What are the advantages of having a presidential system?
less corruption
bring long term stability
wait 4 yrs for another election
cabinet members do not necessarily elected officials
what are the disadvantages of presidential system?
lots of instructions of power happening behind closed doors
appointing cabinet members (could be a buddy to increase vote in favor of them)
who are the executives of parliamentary systems?
prime ministers/ chancellor
What do the Prime minister do?
they run the govt (head of govt) and leader of the largest party (normally)
what is a chancellor?
they are cabinet minister & Prime ministers
Is their a seperation of power in parliamentary system?
No seperation of power
What are key things in parliamentary systems?
legislative can bring down govt
no direct elections for executive (indirect voting)
vote for party not leader
no formal vote- vote for approval PM
Can PM dissolve legislature?
Yes prime minister can dissolve legislature and can call early election (snap elections)
Does PM have a term?
no term limit and vote for cabinet members
Advantages of parliamentary systems?
able to disassemble congress & reassemble it to a more functioning body
solve problems more effectively
easier to replace if not doing well (PM)
qualified officials
more proportional system
Disadvantages of Parliamentary systems?
seems to be chaotic
no stability
no direct elections
some corruption
What is the prime ministers job?
resolve legislature
agenda setting power
Can the prime minister be replaced?
Yes they can replaced through an election (easier than presidential system)
What is no confidence motion?
lack of confidence in the govt or PM. forward by opposition to bring down the govt (NEED majority)
Why does no confidence motion happen?
target specific ministers & public opinion
Intra party might not be happy w/govt of Prime MInister they can replace
What do cabinet members do?
work for the govt but not the representing party
Do cabinet members need seats?
Some have seats like UK or Ireland
others resign seat once Prime minister like in belguim netherlands france.
what is a collective responsibility?
everybody responsible once policy passed. final decision/ final govt decision
what is individual responsibility?
responsible for Jr ministry head of deartment. which policies put forward- responsibility to cabinet
(minister responsible to parliament for action)
what is tacit rule of no intervention?
discouraged from intervening, not compulsive, not directly relevent for their own ministry and are discouraged from interviewing
Who is the head of state in parliamentary system?
king, queen, or president
What is head of state job in parliamentary system?
a symbolic figure (go w/culture no over steeping no disrespect)
upper senate- diplomatic functions (state visits)
What is direct elected?
people vote.
independence can run each party nominates.
What are some examples of directly elected?
Austria, finland, ireland, iceland, portugal, france
What is indirectly elected?
vote happens w/in the cabinet
What is a problem with indirectly elected
you might not be working in party you want & start clashing
If we vote for the parliament why not the president?
voter fatigue can occur
costly
can end up in a hitler situation
what are examples of indirectly elected?
Germany
(peace time, minister of defense, no command, can not declare war)
Italy
(president is commander, right to declare war, executive power in PM)
What is monarchs?
King, queen
last point of contact to pass bill
What are some examples of monarchies?
Belgium britian denmark luxemburg netherlands norway spain sweden
Advantages of monarchs?
represent legacy
symbol of country
in uk its costly but tourist bring money in
spend everyday knowing they are going to rule unlike PM
unites people
Disadvantages of monarchs?
doesn’t represent the people
can over step their boundaries depending on the country
doesnt go w/ western idea of democracy
very costly (uses tax payer money= spain)
Not prepared
some monarchies not populor so no money coming in
What problems come w/ monarchies?
not democratically elected, creates democratic deficit issues, democratic legitmimacy issues, and too much power even if not directly elected
What is the role of the king/ queen?
admitting bishops, ministers, head of bureaucracy, they are commander in chief (go to war, sign treaties, appoint PM or candidate for pm, share work load w/ govt)
what is semi presidential system?
directly elect president separation of power
What is the job of president in semi presidental system?
has power over foreign policy
can dissolve legislature & call for election (nominate PM but can’t stack)
Who is head of government in semi presidential system?
Prime minister
who is responsible for govt policy in semi presidential system?
cabinet have full responsibility of govt policy
Can parliament end govt term?
Yes parliament can end govt term w/ a no confidence motion
who appoints the govt in semi presidential system?
President appoint the govt on advice of Prime Minister
Example of semi presidential system
France
What is cohabitation in France?
President and Prime Minister are from different parties, the cohibit, and it creates problems & disagreement
(france goes w/ PM)
disadvantages of semi presidential system?
placing blame who is responsible (ex: protest of increasing age of retirement)
prioritizes efficiency in policy making
not representing the people
cohabiation issue can lead to gridlock (decrease in passing bill)
what is vote seeking?
trying to be largest party & for smaller party to get seats in threshold
what is threshold?
% of votes needed to win a seat
why do vote seeking?
increase votes share & become largest party
what is policy seeker?
they dont care about votes. they want to change policy, blackmailing, or influence the party. (win votes= change)
why do policy seeker?
to become governing party
What is office seeker?
dont want to form govt, they want to stay out of it