Unit 6 Flashcards
The executive is a branch of government that is in charge of implementing and enforcing laws, creating public policy, and providing political leadership. Political executive is usually what we mean when we say “government of the day”.
The political executive
Members of the executive include
-head of state
-head of government
-cabinet ministers
-senior bureaucrats & central agencies
-line officials
-public sector
-armed forces and police
para-public sector (health, education, social services)
Functions of the executive
provides political leadership to the nation. It will also implement laws formally approved by the legislature and make rules and regulations. As well as administer government departments and other agencies.
The head of state:
carries out ceremonial duties (for example, the Governor General of Canada) and serves as non-partisan representative of state. The Head of State is the focus for national unity, and will make broad strokes messages in speeches, announcements. Other duties of the Head of State include:
acts as guardian of constitution
appoints and dismisses Prime Minister
dissolves parliament
The head of government:
responsible for the domestic leadership of the country, as well as for day to day domestic policy making. This person chairs the cabinet, makes public policy decisions, and so on. For example, in Canada, the Prime Minister is the Head of Government.
Parliamentary systems
Dual executive, separate head of state and head of government. Members of executive are also members of legislature (overlapping, “fusion of” powers). A major principle is responsible government…government can hold office only if it maintains majority support in legislature on votes of confidence.
Benefits of parliamentary systems:
stable majority can act decisively
concentration of powers means it’s easy to know who’s responsible
no-confidence vote creates mechanism for removal of government
Drawbacks of parliamentary systems:
concentration of power
party discipline
can be unstable without majorities (but not always!!)
Presidential systems
These are defined by the separation of powers between executive and legislature. This means that people in executive do not also sit in the legislature. There are also fixed terms of office, and no branch can call an election to get rid of the other (except for impeachment, a difficult process). There is a system of checks and balances (including vetos). The President, Congress, and Senate all have a legislative veto.
Benefits of presidential system:
stable because of fixed terms and Vice President replacement of President
Presidents can appoint whoever they want to cabinet
more freedom from party discipline because legislators can defeat or amend a bill without removal of President
separation of power means less state encroachment
President can unify the nation
Drawbacks of presidential system:
deadlock can happen between two branches of gov
separation of power means lobby groups have more power
less accountability because don’t always know who to blame (separation of power)
Semi-Presidential Systems
These combine parts of both presidential and parliamentary systems. Usually, combine parliamentary Prime Minister with elected President. President is chief executive, while Prime Minister works on day to day business. The President can intervene in policy and administration.
Prime Ministerial
In its basic form, Prime Ministerial government is a parliamentary government with cabinet. There is collective decision-making (Prime Minister=primus inter pares).
The main principles of cabinet government are:
-collective responsibility (cabinet responsible to parliament);
-cabinet solidarity (public support of all ministers)and, ;
-ministerial responsibility (individuals responsible to parliament for their portfolios).
Powers wielded by Prime Minister in this type of government include:
-make appointments to cabinet
determine organization of cabinet and government departments
-call general election
-make appointments to government posts
-hold and chair cabinet meetings
act as chief spokesperson of cabinet
Presidential
On the other hand, in a Presidential Government, cabinet is not a body for collective decision-making: the President really is the ONE in charge.
The President is directly elected by the people, unlike the Prime Minister who derives part of his power from his colleagues’ success at the polls. There are more checks and balances in presidential system. For example, the President must submit cabinet nominees and other senior appointments to Senate, and the President must get approval from Congress if wants to go to war (not true in Parliamentary government, where the Prime Minister has exclusive control over foreign relations)
