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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.
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Core Issues in Comparative Politics(PO233)Module Director: Dr. Renske DoorenspleetAssociate Professor in Comparative Politicsdirector Centre for Studies in DemocratizationDepartment of Politics and International StudiesUniversity of Warwick, UK www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/staff/doorenspleet/ www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/csd/ e-mail: renske.doorenspleet@warwick.ac.uk
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?) • concentration of executive power (week 14) • dominance of executive (week 14) • two-party vs. multiparty system (week 12) • majoritarian electoral rules vs. PR (week 13) • types of interest groups • Federal-unitary dimension
Content Lecture week 14 • Legislatures and Executives • Legislatures (read Kreppel 2008; Hague and Harrop 2007, Ch. 15) • 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
A. Legislatures Legislature versus Assembly Within legislatures: Parliaments (in parliamentary or ‘fused-power’ systems) versus Congresses (in presidential or ‘separation-of-power’ systems)
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)
A. Legislatures Parliamentary systems: UK
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)
A. Legislatures Presidential systems: USA (Congress = Senate & House of Representatives) (US Senate, see below)
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!
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
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
A. Legislatures • Ad 3) Policy-making: legislature as legislator • different ways: • - Consultation • - Delay • - Veto • - Amendment • - Initiation
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)
B. parl. versus pres. systems • Advantages presidential systems (cf Hague and Harrop 2007: 335): • Stability in executive • Popular election • Independence legislature • Separation of powers • National view
B. parl. versus pres. systems • Disadvantages presidential systems (Hague & Harrop 2007: 335): • Danger of deadlock • Fixed terms of office rigid • Waste of experience • Winner takes all • Public appeal is key • Concentration of power, dependent on one person, unrealistic expectations • Less chance of consolidation democracy, likely that presidents becomes a dictator
B. parl. versus pres. systems Disadvantages presidential systems
B. parl. versus pres. systems Disadvantages presidential systems
B. parl. versus pres. systems Disadvantages presidential systems
C. Back to Lijphart • Lijphart’s executive-parties dimension • (how easy is it for one party to take control of the government?): • 1st and 2nd 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)
D. Contents of Seminar week 15 • Homework seminar week 15: • Read the required literature of week 14 • 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!)