Comparing The US And UK Executives

Question 1

What is the difference in the authority between the president and prime minister?

Answer 1

The president is a singular executive, an individual who has sole authority over the government, while the prime minister heads a collective executive, with authority shared over the government

Question 2

Who is the heads of state in both countries?

Answer 2

In the UK its the monarch while the USA is the president

Question 3

What allows the UK prime minister to have more influence over passing legalisation than the US president?

Answer 3

The fusion of powers

Question 4

What have many political commentators called a prime minister who enjoyed a sizeable majority and strong support from their party?

Answer 4

A ‘elective dictatorship’

Question 5

Why can the UK Supreme Court not strike down laws, while the US can rule laws unconstitutional?

Answer 5

Because Parliament is sovereign

Question 6

what power to stop legislation does the president have which the prime minister does not?

Answer 6

Veto

Question 7

What is an example of legislation passed which the prime minister disapproves of?

Answer 7

In September 2019 when the European Union (Withdrawal) (No.2) Act 2019 forced Boris Johnson’s government to seek an extension to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU

Question 8

What power does the prime minister use to declare war?

Answer 8

Royal prerogative power

Question 9

What is the difference in succession for the prime minister and president?

Answer 9

In the US their is a line of succession, while in the UK though there is a deputy prime minister it is usually the an internal leadership election for the succession of leadership

Question 10

What is the difference in patronage for supporters of the president and prime minister?

Answer 10

Both can reward with government or cabinet positions, with the power being used to get legislation through

Question 11

What power can the prime minister use, though is more commonly used by the US president?

Answer 11

The power of the pardon, though the monarch can issue a royal pardon on the advice of the justice secretary, though rarely used, a high-profile example was the 2013 posthumous pardon of Alan Turing for homosexual ‘indecency’ in 1952

Question 12

What are the introductions to the annual legislative agenda’s in both countries?

Answer 12

In the US the State of the Union Address and the monarch delivers the Queen’s Speech

Question 13

What do both legislatures use the committee system to do to government?

Answer 13

Scrutinise government

Question 14

What is the difference in responsibility between the cabinets of each country

Answer 14

US cabinet officers are only responsible for running their own department, while the UK cabinet is the ultimate decision-making body, wit collective reasonability within the UK cabinet

Question 15

What is the difference in the outcomes and reasons behind cabinet reshuffles for the two countries?

Answer 15

In the US reshuffles are not used to increase the presidents power, while the UK reshuffles are used as a from of patronage and control

Question 16

What is the only way the US cabinet can challenge the president’s position?

Answer 16

Under the 25th amendment, the vice president and rest of the cabinet have to issue a declaration that the president is unable to discharge his duties, though this has never happened

Question 17

What is some structural difference between the executive In both countries?

Answer 17

The fusion of powers, threat from the cabinet in the UK though rely on ‘payroll vote’, the US president has sole authority whereas the prime minister is ‘first among equals’

Question 18

What is the main rational analysis between the two countries executive?

Answer 18

The role of individuals acting out of self-interest

Question 19

What are some ways we can rationally analysis the executive governing effectively?

Answer 19

Responding to a weak legislative position
Responding to national emergency
Responding to media criticism

Question 20

What leaders of the two countries had a weak legislative position?

Answer 20

David Cameron in the coalition government of 2010-2015 and Barack Obama, though Cameron had better success in the legislature in his weak position than Obama, though and to compromise

Question 21

What leaders of the two countries had a to response to a national emergency?

Answer 21

W. Bush and Tony Blair, with both going to Iraq and implement more laws which maximised control, with both not using cabinet meetings often for advise

Question 22

What leaders of the two countries were populists and had to respond to heavy criticism from the media?

Answer 22

Both Trump and Johnson were populists and faced criticism from the media both using social media, Trump with Twitter and Johnson answered ‘People’s PMQs’ sent in by Facebook users and gave statements directly to an in-house camera team as opposed to the media

Question 23

What are the cultural aspects we can compare between the executive?

Answer 23

Respect and presidential status, with the president having a greater degree of respect than the prime minister
Limited government versus parliamentary government, the US created as an alternative to British rule, with the fusion of powers and separation of powers being a comparison of this
Imperial versus presidential criticism, with UK prime minister criticised for being too ‘presidential’ though in the US they also face criticism for acting in an ‘imperial’ fashion