Final Flashcards
Legislative Institutions
Law making chamber(s)
US bicameral house
is lower, but proportional representation to the Senate (upper)
Parlaimentary
legislative without executive authority
laws are…
made under the idea of a natural law
legislatures
Multimember. Formally equal and decide by voting. Main function is to make laws.
Other functions of legislatures
appoint or elect certain officials, act in a judicial capacity , authority to investigate, ombudsman
parliamentary and presidential system
pg. 200
legislative committees
offer specialization and decentralization
customs and norms
US senate folkways: apprenticeship, legislative work, specialization, courtesy, reciprocity, institutional patriotism
models of representation
delegate model makes decisions based on constituents wishes
trustee model makes decision on wisdom and reason
politico model a combo of both
legislative party behavior
part members form caucuses, meet to set agenda and prescribe issue agenda for party influence and discipline not always there in the real world
executive institutions
provide leadership as most recognized gov. figure
functions of the executive
diplomacy (day to day implementation of foreign policy), emergency leadership (day to day operational responsibility to manage gov. response to a crisis), budget formulation (budget act of 1921), control military (commander in chief), chief administrator (primary responsibility for managing the agencies that implement gov. programs), policy initiation (most bills that become laws begin as a presidential proposal), symbolic leadership (looking to a specific human being as leader)
types of executive institutions
hereditary monarchies (govern on traditional authority. Outdated today, share power with legislative authority), directly elected chief executive (elected by all voters), chief executives in parliamentary system (elected by members), non-democratic executives (national leaders who seize power by undemocratic means)
limits on executive power
power to persuade Nuestadt pg 228 bully pulpit term limits lame duck
exceeding power
impeachment or military coup (latin America)
Institutional complexity
who has the power?
mass media and executive power
monopoly of information provides power/media check and balance in a diverse and free media
approaches to executive leadership
the political culture, personality
Charismatic authority- individual’s gift
Traditional authority- based on tradition and culture
rational legal authority- based on established laws
representative authority- based on legal representation
coercive authority- based on use of force
judicial institutions
part of gov that regards justice and meaning of law
judicial functions
resolve conflict, maintain social control, legitimize regime, and protect rights, offer justice
concept of justice in natural law
defines what is unjust
two systems of justice
adversarial where judge is there to make sure all is fairly heard
inquisitorial where judge inquires on guilt then goes to trial mostly 100% guilty
kinds of law
natural law- moral or ethical and higher power
positive law- devised by humans
basic law- written law/ constitutions
statutory law- prescriptive law/criminal acts, tax
common law-uniform from England to be applied by principles
civil law- laws governing private parties
criminal law- laws against the state or nation
selections and tenure of judges
Missouri plan appointed the voter to stay an elected partisan or nonpartisan. Trying to achieve legitimacy.
hierarchy of judicial institutions
most countries have multiple layers of trial courts and appellate courts
judicial review
the power to hold unconstitutional any law Maybury vs Madison
parliamentary supremacy- if courts just interpret law, In US supreme court decisions make constitutional law
judicial activism or restraint
ways to rule on decisions
