week_14_ba_cp_200809_lecture_internet.ppt

needs discussion

1. Core Issues in Comparative Politics
(PO233)
Module Director: Dr. Renske Doorenspleet
Associate Professor in Comparative Politics
director Centre for Studies in Democratization
Department of Politics and International Studies
University of Warwick, UK
www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/staff/doorenspleet/
www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/csd/
e-mail: [email protected]

2. Types of Democracies
Consensus versus Majoritarian Systems
(Lijphart 1999, see also week 11):
Executive-parties dimension (how easy is it for one party to
take control of the government?)
1.concentration of executive power (week 14)
2.dominance of executive (week 14)
3.two-party vs. multiparty system (week 12)
4.majoritarian electoral rules vs. PR (week 13)
5.types of interest groups
Federal-unitary dimension

3. Content Lecture week 14
Legislatures and Executives
A.Legislatures (read Kreppel 2008; Hague and Harrop 2007, Ch.
15)
B.The political executive: parliamentary versus presidential
systems (Hague and Harrop 2007, Ch. 16!)
C. Back to Lijphart (read literature week 11)
D. Contents of seminar week 15

4. A. Legislatures
Legislature versus Assembly
Within legislatures:
Parliaments (in parliamentary or ‘fused-power’ systems)
versus
Congresses (in presidential or ‘separation-of-power’ systems)

5. A. Legislatures
parliamentary versus presidential systems: differences in type of
relationship between executive and legislative.
Parliamentary systems are characterized by:
-An executive branch selected from within and by the legislature
-An executive branch which can be removed from office at any
time
-A high degree of mutual dependence between executive and
legislature
Examples: UK, Germany, the Netherlands, etc.
See: Kreppel 2008; Hague and Harrop 2007: 336 (Figure 16.2)

6. A. Legislatures
Parliamentary systems: UK

7. A. Legislatures
parliamentary versus presidential systems: differences in type of
relationship between executive and legislative.
Presidential systems are characterized by:
-An independent selection of executive branch and legislature
-The absence of the ability to dissolve or remove the other from
office (with the exception of incapacity or serious legal wrong-
doing)
Examples: USA, many new democracies in Latin America and Africa
See: Kreppel 2008; Hague and Harrop 2007: 330 (Figure 16.1)

8. A. Legislatures
Presidential systems: USA
(Congress = Senate & House of Representatives)
(US Senate, see below)

9. A. Legislatures
The activities of legislatures can be put into the following categories:
1) Linkage and representation
2) Oversight and control
3) Policy-making
Not the categories, but their importance differs between legislatures!

10. A. Legislatures
Ad 1) Linkage and representation
-Linkage of citizens to government, more effective
-In single-member constituencies
-When the executive is indirectly elected (i.e. in parliamentary
systems)
-Representation
-Debating

11. A. Legislatures
Ad 2) Oversight and control
-Control of the executive branch
-Budget control
-Oversight over: budgetary implications, timely and accurate
implementation
Oversight instruments:
-Question-time
-Hearings / special inquiries
-Investigative committees
-Reports on special issues

12. A. Legislatures
Ad 3) Policy-making: legislature as legislator
different ways:
-Consultation
-Delay
-Veto
-Amendment
-Initiation

13. B. parl. versus pres. systems
parliamentary versus presidential systems:
see slides 5 -8, UK versus USA
parliamentary versus presidential systems: differences in type of
relationship between executive and legislative.
But… in some parliamentary systems also presidents (Austria,
Germany, India) still parliamentary systems!
See: Hague and Harrop 2007: 344 (box 16.7)
And… existence of semi-presidential systems (France, Finland, some
former French colonies
(see for more information: Hague and Harrop 2007: 344-348)

14. B. parl. versus pres. systems
Advantages presidential systems (cf Hague and Harrop 2007: 335):
1.Stability in executive
2.Popular election
3.Independence legislature
4.Separation of powers
5.National view

15. B. parl. versus pres. systems
Disadvantages presidential systems (Hague & Harrop 2007: 335):
1.Danger of deadlock
2.Fixed terms of office rigid
3.Waste of experience
4.Winner takes all
5.Public appeal is key
6.Concentration of power, dependent on one person, unrealistic
expectations
7.Less chance of consolidation democracy, likely that presidents
becomes a dictator

16. B. parl. versus pres.
systems
Disadvantages presidential systems

17. B. parl. versus pres.
systems
Disadvantages presidential systems

18. B. parl. versus pres.
systems
Disadvantages presidential systems

19. C. Back to Lijphart
Lijphart’s executive-parties dimension
(how easy is it for one party to take control of the government?):
1
st
and 2
nd
element: legislatures and executive power
(see also second dimension of federalist-unitary systems)
Lijphart: ‘Parliamentary systems perform best’
Country performs better, when executive has not too much power
and is not too dominant compared to legislature.
-Problem of dichotomy, again!
-There is no a priori “best-type” of legislature (but differences in
Efficiency, Representativeness, Quality of policy outputs)

20. D. Contents of Seminar week 15
Homework seminar week 15:
1)Read the required literature of week 14
2)Choose your country (see seminar week 13)
and discover the strengths and weaknesses of Lijphart’s ideas.
Write a report and prepare a presentation (around 5 minutes)
(see handout!)