WEEK 4 - Legislatures and Executives Flashcards

1
Q

What is the Executive?

Often dubbed Govt. or Administration

A

Its the branch of government responsible for the execution or implementation of policy.

  • One of the 3 main branches
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2
Q

What are the types of executive?

A

Political Executive:
Head of Govt., Head of state, cabinet

Bureaucratic Executive:
Body of Civil servants

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3
Q

What is the presidential government?

A

Divides power between president and legislature.

  • Does so via separate
    elections for legislature
    and executive.
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4
Q

How does the Presidential System work?

A
  • The voters elect the
    legislature and the
    president separately
  • The president chooses
    cabinet ministers.
  • The cabinet ministers
    administer departments
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5
Q

What is the legislature?

A

Deliberative assembly with the authority to make laws.

Assemblies, Parliaments, Congress

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6
Q

What are the elements of the executive in the US?

A
  • Directly elected
  • Personalised executive
  • Position not dependent on
    support legislature
    (Congress)
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7
Q

In what ways can the US executive be weakened?

A
  • Despite not being dependent on congress. The president can still be impeached with 2/3 majority vote
  • Effectiveness of the President can be reliant on party support. i.e Trump and GOP lawmakers resistance
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8
Q

How does the executive arise in the parliamentary system?

A

Executive emerges from the assembly (often in form of coalition) and remains accountable to it.

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9
Q

How does the parliamentary system work?

A
  • Voters elect the legislature
    (MP’s and Party)
  • The legislature can
    approve and remove
    governing party or
    parties.
  • The head of state (The
    Queen) formally approves
    the governing party or
    parties.
  • The prime minister and
    cabinet come from the
    governing party or parties
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10
Q

What are the types of government in parliamentary systems?

A
  • Single party government
  • Coalition Governments
    (most of Europe)

And also Majority v Minority Govts.

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11
Q

What are the statistics for the types of governments in parliamentary systems?

A
  • 45% Majority Coalition
  • 13% Single party majority
  • 19% Minority Coalition
  • 23% Single party minority
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12
Q

How long do different types of Parliamentary Governments last?

From: Akash Paun, ‘United We Stand? Coalition Government in the UK’, Institute for Government, September 2010

A
  • Single party majority
    (roughly 850 days)
  • Minimal winning coalition
    (650 days)
  • Single party minority
    (550 days)
    etc.
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13
Q

What are the strengths of Prime Ministers?

A
The strength varies across countries.
- Prime Ministerial Govt.  
 (e.g: UK, Japan, Canada, 
 Aus)
- Cabinet Govt. 
  (e.g. Nordic Europe)
- Ministerial Govt.              
   (e.g Germany, Italy)
  • Power of patronage is stronger in single-party governments (Can hire and
    fire cabinet ministers)

BUT, PM always relies on support of party (Theresa May on Brexit)

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14
Q

What are the differences between the Presidential system and Parliamentary system?
(FOCUSING ON PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM HERE)

A

Presidential System (Seperation of Powers):

  • Directly elected exec (in
    addition to elected
    legislature)
  • Cabinet subordinate to
    president (one above all)
  • Executive not dependent
    on support legislature
    (congress)
  • Exec unable to dissolve
    legislature
  • Exec lacks guaranteed
    support of legislature
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15
Q

What are the differences between the Presidential system and Parliamentary system?
(FOCUSING ON PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM HERE)

A

Parliamentary System
(Fusion of powers):

  • Executive elected
    indirectly
    (through legislature)
  • Prime Minister ‘first among
    equals’
  • Executive dependent on
    support legislature
  • Executive can usually
    dissolve legislature
  • Executive typically
    supported by
    parliamentary majority
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16
Q

What is Lynden B Johnson’s view to patronage?

A

’ It’s probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing’

When talking about someone hiring someone he didn’t like to a position

17
Q

What is a semi-presidential system?

A
- A system with both an 
  elected president and 
  appointed prime minister
- Combines a President with 
  accountability of PM and 
  cabinet to the legislature
18
Q

How does a semi-presidential system work?

A
  • Voters elect the legislature
    and the president.
  • The president can dissolve
    the legislature.
  • The President appoints the
    prime minister who is
    linked to the cabinet.
  • The Prime Minister is
    accountable to the
    legislature.
  • The legislature can bring
    down cabinet
19
Q

Where can the semi-presidential systems be found?

A
  • Not widely applied in
    liberal democracies
  • France
  • Post-Soviet Russia
- In the Slavic world this is 
  similar but with a 'strong 
  man view'
   - Yugoslavia: Tito 
   - Serbia: Milosevic 
- Under Western world this 
   viewed as dictatorship. 
   But, actually some form of 
   democracy. Despite 
   western world starting to 
   focus more on leader
20
Q

What are the elements of Political Leadership

A
- Informal dimension of 
  power (how you viewed as 
  a person) i.e Blair viewed 
  as a success where Brown 
  wasn't 
  • Political skill is now more
    relevant
  • Leadership as a skill
    involving emotional
    intelligence
21
Q

Why is political skill more relevant in today’s world?

A
  • Due to age of social/mass
    media
  • Ideological Dealignment
  • Demystification of Politics
  • Better informed electorate
    (Brexit goes against this)

Leading to a more critical voter base and lack of respect to politicians

22
Q

What are the elements of leadership containing emotional intelligence?

A
  • Self- Awareness
  • Self- Regulation
  • Motivation defined as a
    passion for work going
    beyond money and status.
  • Empathy for others
  • Social skills (building
    networks and managing
    relationships)
    i.e Corbyn at Glastonbury
23
Q

What is the view that politics is becoming more presidential?

A
  • Increased concentration in
    hands of political leaders
    (Conflating parties with
    leaders)
  • Visible in presidential and
    parliamentarian
  • 3 faces of
    presidentialisation:
    Executive face, Party face,
    Electoral face
  • Presidentialisation implies
    strong but not durable
    leadership
24
Q

What are functions of Legislatures?

A
  • Representation
  • Deliberation
  • Legislation
  • Budget
  • Scrutiny
  • Making Govts.
25
What is Uni and Bicameralism?
One or Two chambers. Second chamber tend to be weaker (exception US and Italy). View that the unelected second chamber lacking democratic legitimacy.
26
What's the point of a second chamber?
- Check on executive power - Quality of Legislation - Wider representation (e.g. in federations)
27
What do Parliamentary Committees do?
``` - Do detailed considerations of legislation - Scrutiny and Oversight on Legislation - Resources and priviledges of committees largely determine 'strength of parliaments'7 ``` - For bills, committees set up to scrutinise
28
What are the elements of the US Congress?
- Bicameral: House of Representatives and Senate - Elections - Initiates and decides over legislation and budget - Senate ratifies treaties and confirms presidential appointments - Powerful committee system - Risk of 'Gridlock'. (Govt. shutdown)
29
What are the elements of the legislatures in parliamentary systems?
- Additional functions:Hire and Fire Cabinets - Legislature here typically has reactive role - Policy making dominated by the executive - Fault line between governing and opposition parties, not between legislature and executive - Party discipline weakens independence of individual MP's BREXIT HAS COMPLICATED THINGS