Systems Of Governance Flashcards
(45 cards)
1
Q
What is Separation of Powers?
A
- The division of power between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government
- The checks and balances of government
2
Q
What are the Powers in the Separation of Powers?
A
- Legislative
- Makes the general laws of the land: public (e.g. taxes) & private (marriage)
- Exectuive
- Proposes policies which use state resources
- Judicial
- Resolves conflicts when laws are not obeyed (courts)
3
Q
What is the Origin of the Parliamentary System?
A
Glorious Revolution of 1688
4
Q
What are the divisions in the Parliamentary System?
A
- The Executive
- House of Representatives
- Senate
- Cabinet
5
Q
What different components are there to the Executive in a Parliamentary System?
A
- Formal component
- The Crown/Governor General
- Political component
- The Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Permanent component
- The public service
6
Q
What is the difference between the Queen and the PM for Australia?
A
- The Queen is the Head of State
- The Prime Minister is head of government
7
Q
What system of governance is Australia?
A
constitutional monarchy
8
Q
How is the Crown involved in the Australian Governmental System?
A
- Authority is vested in the Queen
- Public land = Crown land
- Judicial system - Crown attorneys prosecute crimes on behalf of the state
- The entire Australian political system is underpinned by the authority of the Crown
- Take away the crown, the system collapses (technically)
9
Q
What is the Governor General
A
The British monarch’s representative in Australia
10
Q
What are the Governor General’s prerogative powers?
A
- Acts as head of state and commander and chief of the Australian armed forces
- Appoints the Prime Minister
- Dissolve and open Parliament
- Call an election on advice from the Prime Minister
11
Q
What is true of the relationship between the Governor General and the PM?
A
- The Governor General never goes against the advice of the Prime Minister
- If the GG ignores the advice of her chief advisor (PM), the PM resigns immediately.
12
Q
Where does the House of Representatives in a Parliamentary System get it’s power from?
A
- Gets its power from
- Power to enact legislation, to keep the government accountable, and to control the purse-strings
- Symbol of popular sovereignty or support from the people
13
Q
What are the roles of the House of Reps in a Parliamentary System?
A
- Legislates
- Helps set the polttical agenda
- Legitimises government decisions
- Integrates and represents the political community
- Helps maintain the political system
14
Q
What are the key defining features of the House of Reps in a Parliamentary System?
A
- Not a law making body
- It only refines, ratifies and legitimises legislation
- The executive is a law making (proposing) body
- The house provides support for strong and stable government
- Most of the business in the House is conducted by organised parties vying for power
15
Q
How it the balance of local, national and party interests achieved in the House of Reps in a Parliamentary System?
A
- The organisation of the House of Reps is meant to house the system of responsible government
- MPs elected from and represent individual electorates
- MPs usually members of a political party
- Responsible government requires that the government can control a majority of the House
- Party discipline
16
Q
What are the defining features of the Senate in a Parliamentary System?
A
- Equality of Seats
- Longer term in office (6 years)
- Difference electoral system (STV)
- Equal legislative powers to the House
- Strong committee system
17
Q
What is Equality of Seats and what can it result in?
A
- 12 Senators from the States
- 2 Senators from the Territories
- If all states are equally represented in the Senate, big states can not over run little states
- Unfair advantage to small states?
18
Q
What is the electoral system for the Senate in a Parliamentary System?
A
- Single transferable Votes system
- 6 Year term
- Longer term-limit allows more time for reasonable and nuanced argumentation
- Less dependent on the “winds of change”
19
Q
What are the legislative powers of the Senate in a Parliamentary System?
A
- House of Review
- Review legislation that was presented form an ‘impassioned’ lower house majority
- “sober second thought”
- Initiation of legislation
- Same legislative powers as the HOR - save money bills
20
Q
What is the Cabinet in a parliamentary system?
A
The central decision making body of the executive that coordinates government activity, adjudicates disputes between ministers and allocates resources to government departments
21
Q
What is Cabinet Solidarity?
A
- Collective responsibility
- All members of the cabinet support government policy and do not criticise the government in public
- Important part of responsible government
- If unable, must resign
22
Q
What are the characteristics of cabinet government?
A
- Very powerful
- Highly secretive
- By international standards, they are unusually large
- Single party creatures
- Drawn almost exclusively from elected legislators
- Prime Minister dominates
- Highly institutionalised and operate to precise routine
- Impermanent and homogenous
23
Q
How is a cabinet created?
A
The PM is free to build Cabinet any way he or she wants from elected ministers
24
Q
What are the consequences of cabinet size?
A
- Position of the PM is enhanced with a larger cabinet
- Power is dispersed
- Great incentive to control things from the center
- Overall competence suffers to some degree
25
What is the Myth of Fusion?
1 person, 2 jobs PM is still minister (legislative) despite being in the executive
26
What is responsible government?
- Embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability
- Term used to describe a political system where the executive government, the Cabinet and Ministry, is drawn from, and accountable to, the legislative branch.
- The political executive (cabinet) must retain the confidence of a majority of the elected assembly, and must resign or call an election if and when defeated
27
What is ministerial responsibility?
- Individual responsibility
- The principle that ministers are individually responsible to the HOC for everything that happens in their departments
- Waste, corruption, any misbehaviour
- A myth?
28
What is the origin of the Presidential system?
Grows out of the American Revolution and a backlash against a strong monarchial government
29
What is the key difference between the Presidential System and the Parliamentary?
No responsible government
30
What are the divisions of a Presidential System?
- President
- Cabinet
- Congress (House of Reps. and Senate)
- Judiciary
31
What is the President's roles?
- Head of State
- Greets foreign dignitaries
- Head of Government
- Appointment powers
- Cabinet
- Judges
- Ambassadors
32
What are the qualifications required of the Presidency?
- Qualifications
- natural born citizen of the United States
- Be at least 35
- Have been a permanent resident in the US for at least 14 years
- 22nd Amendment
- President may only serve 2 terms (8 years)
33
What is the electoral college?
- The formal body that chooses the President of the United States (270/538 votes necessary)
- 1787
- “Upstanding citizens” chosen by voter in the state, determined by the total number of Congressman and Senators in the State
- Texas: 32 congressman, 2 senators
- 34 Electoral college cotes
34
What is the Vice-President and what are the qualifications for the job?
- 2nd in charge - 1st in line
- President of the Senate, breaks ties
- Qualifications
- Be a natural born US citizen
- Not be younger than 35
- Have lived in US for at least 14 years
- Not have already served two terms as President
35
What is Congress?
- Consists of two houses:
* House of Representatives
* Senate
36
What is the House of Representatives in a Presidential System?
- 435 members: elected based on population
| - Terms of 2 years (one of the shortest in world), with fixed election dates
37
What is the Senate in a Presidential System?
- 100 members: 2 from each state
- Elected for a 6-year term, with 1/3 of Senators facing election every 2 years
- Advice and Consent
- Treaties
- Cabinet secrataries
- Judges
38
What are cabinet secretaries in a Presidential System?
- Currently 15
- May not hold a seat in congress - myth of fusion
- Unlike parliamentary systems, do not meet as a group
39
What are White House Staff?
- Cabinet secretaries
- Admin departments
- “Texas/Chicago mafia”
40
What control does the President have over the legislative function?
- Bill passed by both HOR and Senate then:
- Sign the bill in to law
- Do nothing: 10 days no signature/veto becomes law
- Regular veto: 10 days after arrival, send back to Congress unsigned with reasons
- Pocket Veto: if Congress is not sitting, simply refuse to sign (10 days)
41
How can a Presidential veto be overridden?
- Congress can respond to a Presidential veto with a 2/3 majority vote in both houses any time during the Congress when the veto was issued
- However is one house fails to get 2/3 the other house does not vote
42
What are the major strengths of the Parliamentary System?
- Majority gov't power to govern
- Non-confidence vote provides check on gov't
- Voters make decision on party stance
43
What are the major strengths of the Presidential System?
- Seperation of Powers
- Checks and balances limit gov't power
- Low party discipline
44
What are the major weaknesses of the Presidential System?
- Too fragmented (getting things done)
- Voters must wait for election to unseat unpopular member
- Voters can't pin responsibility on one party
45
What are the major weaknesses of the Parliamentary System?
- Unstable in minority
- Too powerful with majority (?)
- Strict party discipline
