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POLS1002 > Systems Of Governance > Flashcards

Systems Of Governance Flashcards

1
Q

What is Separation of Powers?

A
  • The division of power between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government
  • The checks and balances of government
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2
Q

What are the Powers in the Separation of Powers?

A
  • Legislative
    • Makes the general laws of the land: public (e.g. taxes) & private (marriage)
  • Exectuive
    • Proposes policies which use state resources
  • Judicial
    • Resolves conflicts when laws are not obeyed (courts)
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3
Q

What is the Origin of the Parliamentary System?

A

Glorious Revolution of 1688

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4
Q

What are the divisions in the Parliamentary System?

A
  • The Executive
  • House of Representatives
  • Senate
  • Cabinet
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5
Q

What different components are there to the Executive in a Parliamentary System?

A
  • Formal component
    • The Crown/Governor General
  • Political component
    • The Prime Minister and Cabinet
  • Permanent component
    • The public service
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6
Q

What is the difference between the Queen and the PM for Australia?

A
  • The Queen is the Head of State

- The Prime Minister is head of government

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7
Q

What system of governance is Australia?

A

constitutional monarchy

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8
Q

How is the Crown involved in the Australian Governmental System?

A
  • Authority is vested in the Queen
    • Public land = Crown land
    • Judicial system - Crown attorneys prosecute crimes on behalf of the state
  • The entire Australian political system is underpinned by the authority of the Crown
  • Take away the crown, the system collapses (technically)
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9
Q

What is the Governor General

A

The British monarch’s representative in Australia

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10
Q

What are the Governor General’s prerogative powers?

A
  • Acts as head of state and commander and chief of the Australian armed forces
  • Appoints the Prime Minister
  • Dissolve and open Parliament
  • Call an election on advice from the Prime Minister
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11
Q

What is true of the relationship between the Governor General and the PM?

A
  • The Governor General never goes against the advice of the Prime Minister
    • If the GG ignores the advice of her chief advisor (PM), the PM resigns immediately.
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12
Q

Where does the House of Representatives in a Parliamentary System get it’s power from?

A
  • Gets its power from
    • Power to enact legislation, to keep the government accountable, and to control the purse-strings
    • Symbol of popular sovereignty or support from the people
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13
Q

What are the roles of the House of Reps in a Parliamentary System?

A
  • Legislates
  • Helps set the polttical agenda
  • Legitimises government decisions
  • Integrates and represents the political community
  • Helps maintain the political system
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14
Q

What are the key defining features of the House of Reps in a Parliamentary System?

A
  • Not a law making body
    • It only refines, ratifies and legitimises legislation
    • The executive is a law making (proposing) body
  • The house provides support for strong and stable government
  • Most of the business in the House is conducted by organised parties vying for power
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15
Q

How it the balance of local, national and party interests achieved in the House of Reps in a Parliamentary System?

A
  • The organisation of the House of Reps is meant to house the system of responsible government
  • MPs elected from and represent individual electorates
  • MPs usually members of a political party
  • Responsible government requires that the government can control a majority of the House
  • Party discipline
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16
Q

What are the defining features of the Senate in a Parliamentary System?

A
  • Equality of Seats
  • Longer term in office (6 years)
  • Difference electoral system (STV)
  • Equal legislative powers to the House
  • Strong committee system
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17
Q

What is Equality of Seats and what can it result in?

A
  • 12 Senators from the States
  • 2 Senators from the Territories
  • If all states are equally represented in the Senate, big states can not over run little states
  • Unfair advantage to small states?
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18
Q

What is the electoral system for the Senate in a Parliamentary System?

A
  • Single transferable Votes system
  • 6 Year term
    • Longer term-limit allows more time for reasonable and nuanced argumentation
    • Less dependent on the “winds of change”
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19
Q

What are the legislative powers of the Senate in a Parliamentary System?

A
  • House of Review
    • Review legislation that was presented form an ‘impassioned’ lower house majority
    • “sober second thought”
  • Initiation of legislation
    • Same legislative powers as the HOR - save money bills
20
Q

What is the Cabinet in a parliamentary system?

A

The central decision making body of the executive that coordinates government activity, adjudicates disputes between ministers and allocates resources to government departments

21
Q

What is Cabinet Solidarity?

A
  • Collective responsibility
  • All members of the cabinet support government policy and do not criticise the government in public
  • Important part of responsible government
  • If unable, must resign
22
Q

What are the characteristics of cabinet government?

A
  • Very powerful
  • Highly secretive
  • By international standards, they are unusually large
  • Single party creatures
  • Drawn almost exclusively from elected legislators
  • Prime Minister dominates
  • Highly institutionalised and operate to precise routine
  • Impermanent and homogenous
23
Q

How is a cabinet created?

A

The PM is free to build Cabinet any way he or she wants from elected ministers

24
Q

What are the consequences of cabinet size?

A
  • Position of the PM is enhanced with a larger cabinet
    • Power is dispersed
    • Great incentive to control things from the center
  • Overall competence suffers to some degree
25
Q

What is the Myth of Fusion?

A

1 person, 2 jobs PM is still minister (legislative) despite being in the executive

26
Q

What is responsible government?

A
  • Embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability
  • Term used to describe a political system where the executive government, the Cabinet and Ministry, is drawn from, and accountable to, the legislative branch.
  • The political executive (cabinet) must retain the confidence of a majority of the elected assembly, and must resign or call an election if and when defeated
27
Q

What is ministerial responsibility?

A
  • Individual responsibility
  • The principle that ministers are individually responsible to the HOC for everything that happens in their departments
    • Waste, corruption, any misbehaviour
    • A myth?
28
Q

What is the origin of the Presidential system?

A

Grows out of the American Revolution and a backlash against a strong monarchial government

29
Q

What is the key difference between the Presidential System and the Parliamentary?

A

No responsible government

30
Q

What are the divisions of a Presidential System?

A
  • President
  • Cabinet
  • Congress (House of Reps. and Senate)
  • Judiciary
31
Q

What is the President’s roles?

A
  • Head of State
    • Greets foreign dignitaries
  • Head of Government
    • Appointment powers
    • Cabinet
    • Judges
    • Ambassadors
32
Q

What are the qualifications required of the Presidency?

A
  • Qualifications
    • natural born citizen of the United States
    • Be at least 35
    • Have been a permanent resident in the US for at least 14 years
  • 22nd Amendment
    • President may only serve 2 terms (8 years)
33
Q

What is the electoral college?

A
  • The formal body that chooses the President of the United States (270/538 votes necessary)
  • 1787
  • “Upstanding citizens” chosen by voter in the state, determined by the total number of Congressman and Senators in the State
    • Texas: 32 congressman, 2 senators
    • 34 Electoral college cotes
34
Q

What is the Vice-President and what are the qualifications for the job?

A
  • 2nd in charge - 1st in line
  • President of the Senate, breaks ties
  • Qualifications
    • Be a natural born US citizen
    • Not be younger than 35
    • Have lived in US for at least 14 years
    • Not have already served two terms as President
35
Q

What is Congress?

A
  • Consists of two houses:
    • House of Representatives
    • Senate
36
Q

What is the House of Representatives in a Presidential System?

A
  • 435 members: elected based on population

- Terms of 2 years (one of the shortest in world), with fixed election dates

37
Q

What is the Senate in a Presidential System?

A
  • 100 members: 2 from each state
  • Elected for a 6-year term, with 1/3 of Senators facing election every 2 years
  • Advice and Consent
    • Treaties
    • Cabinet secrataries
    • Judges
38
Q

What are cabinet secretaries in a Presidential System?

A
  • Currently 15
  • May not hold a seat in congress - myth of fusion
  • Unlike parliamentary systems, do not meet as a group
39
Q

What are White House Staff?

A
  • Cabinet secretaries
  • Admin departments
  • “Texas/Chicago mafia”
40
Q

What control does the President have over the legislative function?

A
  • Bill passed by both HOR and Senate then:
    • Sign the bill in to law
    • Do nothing: 10 days no signature/veto becomes law
    • Regular veto: 10 days after arrival, send back to Congress unsigned with reasons
    • Pocket Veto: if Congress is not sitting, simply refuse to sign (10 days)
41
Q

How can a Presidential veto be overridden?

A
  • Congress can respond to a Presidential veto with a 2/3 majority vote in both houses any time during the Congress when the veto was issued
  • However is one house fails to get 2/3 the other house does not vote
42
Q

What are the major strengths of the Parliamentary System?

A
  • Majority gov’t power to govern
  • Non-confidence vote provides check on gov’t
  • Voters make decision on party stance
43
Q

What are the major strengths of the Presidential System?

A
  • Seperation of Powers
  • Checks and balances limit gov’t power
  • Low party discipline
44
Q

What are the major weaknesses of the Presidential System?

A
  • Too fragmented (getting things done)
  • Voters must wait for election to unseat unpopular member
  • Voters can’t pin responsibility on one party
45
Q

What are the major weaknesses of the Parliamentary System?

A
  • Unstable in minority
  • Too powerful with majority (?)
  • Strict party discipline

POLS1002 (12 decks)

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