Political Theories Flashcards
(18 cards)
Structural theory points for the executive:
-term limits and 2 year election cycles, highlight the need for the US President to get any legislation passed at the start of their presidency. By contrast in the UK there is a less pressing need to accomplish policy objectives at the start of their premiership
-US president has powerful resources available to them (EXOP and the West Wing), and the UK PM has a smaller set of resources (cabinet offices). The PM can usually rely upon the loyalty of their MPs, especially in key votes
-the power of the UK PM are broader and less sharply defined and less sharply defined that those of POTUS because of the unmodified nature of the constitution. In the UK there are more fused powers and fewer formal checks
Rational theory points for the executives:
-Both heads of government use their powers of patronage to strengthen their position. The UK PM will be careful about who they appoint as ministers - they want to keep the party loyal and prevent leadership challenges. In the US, the president will appoint cabinet members as individuals who they can trust, but also who are specialist in their fields.
-personalities of presidents often shape and determine their policy agendas. When they run for office they emphasise their personal qualities. This is less common in the UK where party labels are more important, though increasingly personality is playing a role in elections
-US presidents will often resort to the ‘bully pulpit’ to appeal voters/legislators to directly achieve their policy aims. The PM has less need to this tactics because of their inbuilt majority in the commons
Cultural theory points for the executive:
-POTUS has a key ceremonial role as Head of State, while in the UK, the monarch traditionally performs the function of a Head of State and the associated ceremonial duties
-both countries traditionally look to their leaders in times of crisis, this is perhaps truer in the US (consoler in Chief role) and tradition of speaking directly to the people via broadcasts. Historically, the monarch has undertaken some of these role in the UK
-the UK PM’s power derives mostly from royal prerogative and this has changed over time as monarchical power has decreased. POTUS has had clear, enumerated powers from the founding of the USA.
Structural theory points for the judiciaries:
-the judiciaries in both counties have not only the power to interpret laws but inevitably end up making the law, this is more of an issue in the US due to constitutional sovereignty
-Both countries seek to preserve judicial independence, in the US SCOTUS justices are appointed or live and their salaries cannot be reduced by congress (Article 3 Compensation Clause). In the UK judges have security of tenure in their posts until the compulsory retirement age of 70, their salaries are paid out of the consolidate fund and cannot be manipulated by parliament
-Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President. Judges in the UK are appointed by the non-political JAC, meaning there is little political involvement in appointments
Rational theory points for the judiciaries:
-the power of SCOTUS largely explains the choices made by presidents, they deliberately choose candidates who reflect their own outlooks and judicial philosophies. The UKSC has no constitutional sovereignty and a different appointment process, meaning that it is not a consideration for Prime Minister
-When reaching verdicts, the judges in neither country take into consideration public opinion or satisfying particular interest groups. They are able to make their decisions based on legal grounds.
-Pressure groups are more likely to lobby SCOTUS to achieve their policy outcomes as there are opportunities to present amicus curiae briefings to the judges, something that is less common in the UK. Many cases head in the SCOTUS are high profile when controversial, when compared to the UK where cases are more technical and when the government looses they can simply change the law
Cultural theory points for the judiciaries:
-tradition of labelling SCOTUS judges as liberal and conservatives, goes back further than times of hyper-partisanship. Justices on the UKSC do not have political labels attached to them
-the UKSC is a more recent addition to the Constitution, so is yet to acquire a central role. SCOTUS has played a significant role in the development of the country’s politics and protection of civil rights
-Decision by the SCOTUS are often termed ‘landmark cases’ and play a central role in American history and political developments. This is much less the case in the UK where parliamentary acts are more likely to be seen as milestones in its political development
Structural theory points for pressure groups:
-the central role of the Supreme Court in the states due to constitutional sovereignty, means that many US PGs lobby the courts as well as other bodies. In the UK, at least until Brexit, would often lobby EU institutions as that is where many decisions are made
-the Federal nature of the US Constitution means the many PGs will lobby both state and federal government level, in a way not found nearly so much in the UK
-the US constitution provides many more access points when compare to the more unitary nature of the UKSC
Rational theory points for pressure groups:
-US PGS are more likely to lobby individual congress people in order to secure their support, while the more disciplined party system in the UK make this a less viable option for PGs to achieve their preferred policy outcomes
-to achieve their aims many PGs in the US donate to candidates or run their own SuperPACs especially after citizens united. PGs in the UK are more restricted legally in their political activities
-in both counties PGs will lobby firms that have employed former government officials in order to gain access to key decision makers
-US pressure groups often produce score cards to help inform supporters when it comes to elections. The UK does not allow PGs to get directly involved in election campaigns
Cultural theory points for pressure groups:
-in both countries, there is a long tradition of more marginalised groups using direct actions methods to gain publicity and grand the attention of policy makers
-the history and political culture of both countries means that certain PGs have historic ties to certain parties (eg Trade Unions and Labour and the NRA and Republicans)
-PGs have had long and significant role in US politics and policy a king, this perhaps reflects the 1st amendment rights granted to US citizens. The UK has less of a tradition of entrenched individual rights
Structural theory for constitutional arrangements:
-the 2 year election cycle set out in the USC lead to a short term focus especially in the House. By contrast, the UK has a 5 year cycle which in theory enables a longer term focus for governments
-the separation of power in the USC ensures that no party of government can domination. There are many checks and balances while the UK has a more unitary framework- this allows the executive (under normal circumstances) to dominate all other parts of government
-there is direct elections in the US to both legislative chambers, while the upper chamber in the UK remains unelected even after the Blair reforms
-the USC is codified and difficult to amend formally. the UKSC by contrast is not, it is found in a variety of sources and therefore is easy to amend
Rational theory points for constitutional arrangements:
-the sovereignty of the Constitution in the US means that the Supreme Court has become highly powerful and politicised, presidents aim to appoint justices favourable to the judicial philosophy and political views
-the POTUS will often resort to informal powers to get around the restrained on the powers in the USSC such as Congress’ power of the purse. By contrast the UK PM has less recourse to such measures party because their powers are not codified
-the existence of federalism in the USSC has led to pressure groups lobbying both national bodies but also state level institutions. The bulk of lobbying in the UK still focuses on Westminster as we retain a partially unitary condition. The emergence of regional assemblies with significant powers had led to some shift in activity though
Cultural theory points for constitutional arrangements:
-the intentions of the Founding Fathers was to separate powers and institutions to avoid tyranny. the UKSC by contrast reacts and evolution from monarchical power still evident in the royal prerogative that gives plenty of power to the executive
-the long existence of entrenched rights in the USA (1791 Bill of Rights) has led to a much greater awareness of individual rights, while in the UK there is less emphasis on the Constitution as a guarantor of our rights and focuses more on the ECHR
-the UKSC still has a legacy from its feudal past, eg the existence of 92 hereditary peers in the Lords. Such an arrangement would be unacceptable in the US.
Structural theory points for electoral and party systems:
- the US has rigid and fixed election cycles in contrast to the UK where deep sure the FPTP Act, MPS can still call an early election for a presumed electoral advantage
-the federal set op of the US means the central parties are generally weaker, and local state parties have perhaps more of a role
-Both countries use largely majoritarian system for elections which tends to lead to a two-party system
Rational theory points for electoral and party systems:
-primaries in the US mean that candidates often have to swing left/right in order to appeal to core voters. This is not the case in the UK where there are no primaries
-voting behaviour is determined by similar factors in both countries (religion, age, self-identification) but there are important differences such as race/religion in US voting behaviour. This affects the policies and platforms that the parties stand for
-in both countries parties seek to appeal to certain ‘natural’ voting blocs
-UK campaigns tent to be much more national in focus. Although there are big national issues in the US, it remains true that ‘all politics is local’, so many candidates will ensure their policies will reflect local priorities and concerns
-the existence of a directly elected president has ensure that US political campaigns especially for the presidency have been more focussed on character and personality. In the UK the party still matters more
Cultural theory points for electoral and party systems:
-the US has long had a traction of more elections for offices that in the UK, reflecting its historic desire for more accountability of officials to voters
-both countries have a long established tradition of two party dominance especially in national legislature
-traditionally, race and religion are much more significant in voting behaviour compared to the UK
-historically both countries have two main parties on the left/right, overall parties in the US are more conservative. The Democrat party lacks historical links to socialism of the Labour Party
Structural theory points for civil rights:
-SCOTUS plays a major role in upholding civil rights compared to the UKSC, due to constitutional rather than parliamentary sovereignty
-the structure of the USSC with its entrenched rights especially in the Bill of Rights and 14th and 15th amendments means that civil rights are better protected there than in the UK where they are mainly protected by statute law
-the US Civil Rights movement has often needed strong high profile leaders to galvanise and co-ordinate campaigns in a way not seen in post war Britain
Rational theory points for civil rights:
-in both countries in the aftermath of 9/11 felt compelled to infringe certain civil liberties in the interests of national security
-individuals often play a large part in civil rights campaigns where many focus on individuals’ experience of injustice, victimhood and discrimination
-many US groups seek to defend their rights via en gain in elections campaign while in the UK, the focus is more on lobbying parliament
Cultural theory points for civil rights:
-both counties have abided by the principle of the rule of law, which provides a vital defence of civil rights, also have a strong attachment to the notion of individual rights and liberties
-both countries have ‘rights’ that are pertinent to the nation e.g gun rights and abortion in America and fox-hunting in the UK
-the black Civil Rights movement has historically played a major party in the history of US Civil Rights as a whole. The UK has not really shared this legacy/ tradition
-religious groups have traditionally been stringer in the US, which explain why they have often played a more high-profile role in debate over civil rights than in the UK
