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Understanding Democratic Institutions (18EUA607) > WEEK 4 - Legislatures and Executives > Flashcards

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
Q

What is Uni and Bicameralism?

A

One or Two chambers.

Second chamber tend to be weaker (exception US and
Italy).

View that the unelected second chamber lacking democratic legitimacy.

26
Q

What’s the point of a second chamber?

A
  • Check on executive power
  • Quality of Legislation
  • Wider representation (e.g.
    in federations)
27
Q

What do Parliamentary Committees do?

A 
- 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
Q

What are the elements of the US Congress?

A
  • 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
Q

What are the elements of the legislatures in parliamentary systems?

A
  • 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

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Understanding Democratic Institutions (18EUA607) (10 decks)

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