Comparative Analysis of Democratization Systems: Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Semi-presidentialism

1. Comparative Analysis of Democratizationprof. Fulvio Venturino Comparative Politics Principles of Democracy and Democratization Chapter 8: Legislatures and Executives

2. The key questions • The relative merits of alternative forms of government • The organization of political institutions and democratization

3. Presidentialism defined • separation of powers between the various branches of government • presidents are directly elected through some type of nationwide vote • presidents serve fixed terms, not dependent on the continued confidence of the legislature • presidents form their own cabinets

4. Parliamentarism defined • parliamentary systems separate the two roles of the head of state and head of government, with the former in a largely ceremonial role • the head of government’s authority is dependent on maintaining support in the legislature • a distinguishing feature of parliamentary governments is the absence of fixed terms • party discipline is crucial, because if parties cannot ensure that their representatives will vote as a bloc, then they will not appear to be attractive coalition partners

5. Semi-presidentialism defined • The president wields extensive powers: has the ability to make laws via decrees; may dissolve the legislature and call for new elections; may refer treaties or certain types of laws to a popular referendum; is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces; appoints the prime minister, who is afterward confirmed by the legislature; can name and dismiss ministers in the cabinet, but only with the consent of the prime minister • However, the division of labor between the presidency and the prime minister is not always clearly delineated • When the president and prime minister are from different parties, then there is the practice of cohabitation

6. Key benefits of presidential systems • the government efficiency • the representativeness of the entire population • the checks and balances system

7. Key benefits of parliamentary systems • the unified legislature-executive relationship prevents that an ineffective president can scapegoat the legislature for policy failures • a vote of no confidence allows for the removal of a prime minister and cabinet at any time • legislatures monitors the activities of the executives through the process of interpellation • parliamentary systems are thought to be more conducive to the formation of organizationally strong and disciplined political parties

8. Are presidential systems conducive to the development of democracy? • competing legitimacies can lead to deadlock and policy paralysis • pressured by term limits, presidents may pursue ill-conceived policy initiatives • the winner-take-all nature of electoral competition prevents power-sharing • presidentialism fosters personalization, and equates the survival of the state with the personality of the president

9. But is presidentialism really dangerous for new democracies? • evidence is predominantly based on the Latin American experience, and neglects stable presidencies found in other regions • it also fails to notice unstable parliamentary systems in Asia and Africa • the problems that have been associated with presidentialism are really the result of the use of FPTP electoral rules • those who point to the perils of presidentialism also overlook the potential beneficial aspects of presidential systems

10. The role of cabinet in parliamentary systems • In parliamentary systems, prime ministers are elected by their governing coalition but not all prime ministers are equally powerful • first above unequals: Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom • first among equals: Italy, the Netherlands, Norway

11. How does one discern betweenpowerful and weak prime ministers? • Researchers have relied on • the prime minister’s authority vis-à-vis fellow members of the executive branch • the prime minister’s ability to navigate through the policy-making process • his ability to remove and appoint members of the executive branch

12. The role of cabinet in presidential systems • Cabinet members are generally seen as advisors to the president • They are strongly subordinate to the president • They are primarily responsible to the president rather than the legislature • The president has wide latitude in selecting cabinet members, and they are often selected outside of the president’s party

13. The role of cabinet in semi-presidential systems • President appoints the members of the cabinet, including the prime minister • The president is free to choose whomever he sees fit to be a minister, including members of parties other than the president’s own party • However, the cabinet is responsible to parliament • The cabinet is not merely a set of advisors to the president, but formulates policy much along the same lines as in parliamentary systems

14. The legislative process in the US and in the UK: the speaker • In both the US House of Representatives and the UK House of Commons, the principal presiding officer is the Speaker of the House • however, in the US House the Speaker is much more powerful

15. The legislative process in the US and in the UK: the committees • In both cases, a committee system exists which is part of the legislative process • In the US system, committees and subcommittees can effectively alter and block legislation before it reaches the floor of Congress for a vote • The committees in the House of Commons do not have such power to block legislation

16. What about the Upper House? • In a comparative perspective, most parliamentary systems have legislative processes similar to Britain’s • However, in all types of systems the upper house is usually not powerless • Finally, the lower house can override the upper house and veto legislation