week 4 - legislatures and gov. in systems

Question 1

legislature

Answer 1

(usually) elected body composed of several members

Question 2

some examples of what the legislature itself is called

Answer 2

“The Legislature,” “Congress,” “Parliament,” “The Assembly,”

Question 3

what functions do legislature serve

Answer 3

Policymaking

Representing the people

Oversight

Debating

Question 4

legislature policymaking

Answer 4

The most important power; the introduction of new legislation.

Question 5

2 things legislatures can do with legislation

Answer 5

veto and delay legislation

Question 6

unicameralism

Answer 6

means one house; common in smaller countries

Question 7

bicameralism

Answer 7

means two houses; two chambers existed to serve the interests of different economic classes.

In federal countries, the upper house often represents the interests of subunits.

Question 8

bicameralism and policymaking

Answer 8

policymaking is usually slower, as the upper house places an additional check on legislation. this is especially true where the upper chamber is quite powerful.

Question 9

party discipline

Answer 9

the ability of a party to get legislators to support the policies of the leadership.

Question 10

what happens when party discipline is high

Answer 10

passing legislation is easier

Question 11

representation

Answer 11

to give a voice to the people

Question 12

types of representation

Answer 12

delegates and trustees

Question 13

delegates

Answer 13

communicate the wishes of their constituents in the legislature.

Question 14

which type of representation did hobbes prefer

Answer 14

delegates; because it constrains the “vanity” of elected officials

Question 15

trustee

Answer 15

use their intellect and reasoning skills to make the decisions best for their constituents, without necessarily considering constituents’ wishes.

Question 16

what did the two philosophists think about the trustee model

Answer 16

Burke thought the representative should not have to sacrifice “his unbiased opinion, his mature judgment” to constituents.

Madison reasoned that representatives deliberate to reach the common good, which is more productive than simply reflecting the will of the people.

Question 17

types of oversight

Answer 17

general and executive

Question 18

what does debating do in legislatures

Answer 18

• brings a diversity of opinions into the policymaking process.
• can affect and inform public opinion.
• can promote compromise

Question 19

general oversight

Answer 19

legislature can conduct inquiries and form investigative committees

Question 20

question time in a parliament

Answer 20

the prime minister is called upon roughly weekly to defend his or her policies and actions.

Question 21

what does least MWC mean

Answer 21

less surplus seats meaning the other party would be more likely to be coalition partners with a party that has less seats.

Question 22

executive oversight

Answer 22

In presidential systems, the legislature can impeach and ultimately remove the executive

In parliamentary systems, the legislature can dismiss the executive with a vote of no confidence

Question 23

what is the amount of members the U.S lower house has frozen their numbers to

Answer 23

435 members

Question 24

what do bigger legislatures imply

Answer 24

better representation
more salaries to pay
more elections to hold
more people needed to attain a majority

Question 25

government

Answer 25

the country’s central political executive which includes a chief executive and top officials.

Question 26

factors of government in presidential systems

Answer 26

1. The government is the president and the cabinet.
2. The president is the chief executive.
3. The president appoints cabinet members, the highest-ranking government officials (usually with legislative consent) - they are not elected.
4. The cabinet members can be from any political party and the president will generally select people from thier own party

Question 27

factors of governments in parliamentary system

Answer 27

1. The government is the prime minister and the cabinet
2. The prime minister is the chief executive.
3. The prime minister appoints cabinet members who are generally members of the legislature - they generally must be elected before joining the cabinet.

Question 28

government types in parliamentary system

Answer 28

single party majority government
majority coalition government
minority government

Question 29

majority coalition government

Answer 29

A group of two or more parties controls the legislative majority.

Question 30

minority government

Answer 30

No party or group of parties controls the legislative party (usually quite fragile and don’t last long as they can lose the vote of no confidence).

Question 31

single party majority government

Answer 31

A single party controls the legislative majority

Question 32

why does government formation in parliamentary systems matter

Answer 32

Government needs the support of the legislative majority.

If no single party has a majority of seats, parties may try to form a coalition government.

Question 33

what are the goal of parties in parliamentary systems

Answer 33

office and policy seeking

Question 34

policy seeking

Answer 34

A party that wants to shape policy and get their preferred policy passed; it will want ideologically similar parties

Question 35

office seeking

Answer 35

A party interested in the benefits of office wants as many cabinet positions as possible.

Question 36

what would an office seeking party do in order to get as many cabinet positions as possible

Answer 36

they will form a minimal winning coalition (MWC) - which is a coalition with the fewest members that also controls the legislative majority (often in order to survive a no confidence).

Question 37

how does the type of government affect its survival

Answer 37

the length of time a government survives is dependent on the composition.

Question 38

the survival of single and minority party governments

Answer 38

Single party governments often last a long time.

Minority Party governments often die quickly – due to a vote of no confidence.

Question 39

executives in semi-presidential systems

Answer 39

The president – who generally has the most power

The prime minister – who leads the parliamentary majority as usual.

Question 40

what are some factors of governments in semi presidential systems

Answer 40

1. Sometimes, the president has to appoint the prime minister who could be from any party
2. The president is popularly elected, independent from the legislature
3. The cabinet serves under the prime minister and can be dismissed by the legislature, like in the parliamentary system.

Question 41

examples of countries in semi-presidential systems

Answer 41

France, Portugal, some countries are mostly African countries colonized by the French and some clusters of central and eastern European countries.