February 5, 2015 Chapter 8 & 9: Governments and Bureaucracy

Question 1

What is the term “government” most often used to describe?

Answer 1

The country’s central political executive.

Question 2

Today’s governments emerged through the splitting off of ___ and ___ functions, which happened in 12th Century England.

Answer 2

Judicial, legislative.

Question 3

In order for a government to be democratic, it must have 2 features: what are they?

Answer 3

1. Connection to electoral process.

2. Constitutional constraints.

Question 4

What is a constitution?

Answer 4

A body of meta-norms that specify how all other norms are to be produced, applied, enforced, and interpreted.

Question 5

What are the 3 types of constitution?

Answer 5

1. Absolutist.
2. Legislative supremacy.
3. “Higher law.”

Question 6

What is an absolutist constitution?

Answer 6

Ruler is above the law.

Question 7

What is a legislative supremacy constitution?

Answer 7

Stresses the sovereignty of the legislative, constitution can be changed by the parliament.

Question 8

What is a “higher law” constitution?

Answer 8

Constitution defines legislature.

Question 9

What is the convergence of the 3 constitution types called?

Answer 9

New constitutionalism.

Question 10

Constitutions are typically silent about the internal working of government, leaving a remarkable degree of ___ to political actors.

Answer 10

Flexibility.

Question 11

What are the 5 ways in which governments can be organized?

Answer 11

1. Presidentialism.
2. Parliamentalism.
3. Directoral government.
4. Directly elected prime minister.
5. Semi-presidentialism.

Question 12

Give an example of a state that exhibits presidentialism.

Answer 12

U.S.

Question 13

What is presidentialism?

Answer 13

Head of the government is the president, who is popularly elected. Based on the idea of the separation of power.

Question 14

What is parliamentalism?

Answer 14

Head of the government is different from the head of the state (P.M. vs. the monarch). Government is accountable to parliament.

Question 15

Give examples of parliamentalism states.

Answer 15

Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

Question 16

What is a directorial government?

Answer 16

7 individuals are elected by the parliament.

Question 17

What country uses a directorial government?

Answer 17

Switzerland.

Question 18

What country used to use a directly elected prime minister?

Answer 18

Israel.

Question 19

What is semi-presidentialism?

Answer 19

Difference with presidentialism is that the cabinet is accountable to the parliament.

Question 20

Give an example of a country that uses semi-presidentialism.

Answer 20

France.

Question 21

How does a presidential government operate?

Answer 21

By concentrating all executive power in a single, directly elected person.

Question 22

What are the 3 different decision models in the operation of a parliamentary government?

Answer 22

1. Cabinet government.
2. P.M. government.
3. Ministerial government.

Question 23

What is a cabinet government?

Answer 23

Cabinet discusses and decides collectively, P.M. is “primus inter pares.” Problem is that there are too many and too technical issues.

Question 24

What is a P.M. government?

Answer 24

Since the 1960’s, started replacing cabinet governments. More monocratic decision-making by the P.M., and closer to presidentialism.

Question 25

What is the difference between a P.M. government and a presidential government/

Answer 25

A presidential government has filed terms, while a P.M. government does not.

Question 26

What is a ministerial government?

Answer 26

Distributes power among individual members, ministers are policy dictators. Mutual non-intervention.

Question 27

Modern governments are ___ governments.

Answer 27

Party.

Question 28

How do political parties influence government?

Answer 28

Party programs, selection of party ministers, duration of party's control over the cabinet.

Question 29

Party programs are more influential if...

Answer 29

They are clearly defined.

Question 30

Selection of cabinet members is more influential when...

Answer 30

The party has greater control over this.

Question 31

How does the duration of the party's control over the cabinet affect that party's influence?

Answer 31

Generally, the longer the control, the more the influence.

Question 32

How are governments influenced by bureaucracy?

Answer 32

Problem identification (agenda setting) and problem of political choices.

Question 33

What is the political capacity of a presidential or semi-presidential government?

Answer 33

Government capacities are constrained in cases of divided governments, where the president is from one party and at least one chamber is controlled by another.

Question 34

What is a risk in the political capacity of presidential or semi-presidential governments?

Answer 34

Risk of gridlock due to institutional rigidity.

Question 35

What are 4 presidential strategies to deal with gridlock?

Answer 35

1. Dictating. 2. Undertaking unilateral actions. 3. Bargaining. 4. Paying-off.

Question 36

What is the political capacity of single-party majority parliamentary regimes?

Answer 36

Homogenous, quick decisions, avoidance of compromise.

Question 37

What is the political capacity of coalition minority governments?

Answer 37

In theory, appears to be an unstable situation, as they must make compromises. However, in practice, it is relatively stable, as they occupy an ideological centre, and is policy-oriented rather than office-seeking politicians.

Question 38

What are the key characteristics of bureaucratic organizations according to Max Weber?

Answer 38

1. Personnel. 2. Organization. 3. Procedure.

Question 39

What is the personnel in bureaucratic organizations?

Answer 39

Payroll.

Question 40

What is the organization in bureaucratic organizations?

Answer 40

Division of labour.

Question 41

What is the procedure in bureaucratic organizations?

Answer 41

Impersonal interpretation of law.

Question 42

Since bureaucratic organizations are based on ___ recruitment, they are considered to be politically neutral.

Answer 42

Merit.

Question 43

What are the 2 public choice theories of bureaucracies?

Answer 43

1. Parkinson's Law. | 2. Niksanen.

Question 44

What is Parkinson's Law?

Answer 44

Bureaucrats tend to grow constantly.

Question 45

What did Niksanen say about in his public choice theory of bureaucracy?

Answer 45

Bureaucrats have a private interest to increase their budget.

Question 46

Why is it difficult to stop bureaucracies?

Answer 46

1. The measuring of "output." | 2. Lack/absence of competitive pressure.

Question 47

What are the 3 micro-economic theories that deal with bureaucratic capacity?

Answer 47

1. Leisure-shirking. 2. Dissent-shirking. 3. Political sabotage.

Question 48

What are spoil systems?

Answer 48

The victorious party points large layers of the administration.

Question 49

What is new public management?

Answer 49

Transferring the ideology of the private sector to the public sector.

Question 50

The general government capacities of political parties are influenced by:

Answer 50

Length, political leaders, and political programs.

Question 51

In a presidential system, unitary vs. divided government, which is better?

Answer 51

In theory, unitary is better, as decisions get processed faster and more efficiently. However, in practice, divided is better, as strategies are used to negate the bad aspects.