Types of Political Systems

A political system A political system can be defined as a form of governing society that is embedded in a legal (constitutional), economic, and cultural environment.

Collective actors A political system relies on the interdependence of its institutions and collective actors (political parties, organized interests, governments, and bureaucracies) that operate within such a system.

Government Government can be representative or non-representative.

Representative government Within representative system of government, four types can be distinguished: 1. presidential government, 2. parliamentary government, 3. dual-power government (semipresidential), and 4. single-party government.

Head of state The role and position of the head of state is crucial for each type. Although most states have a president as head of state, in most cases, the presidency is merely symbolic, and its main function is to represent the sovereignty of the nation and government.

Presidential government The foremost feature is that of the one-person executive who dominates the politics of government. He or she can call on the public, by whom he or she is elected, and represents national government at home and abroad. Typical for presidentialism is the executive command of the head of state, who is also head of government. Conversely, parliament plays an indirect role by exerting legislative control.

USA In a presidential system such as that of the U.S.A., the leader of the executive, the President, is elected independently of the legislature and holds office for a fixed period, subject in some countries to dismissal by the legislature.

Parliamentary government The parliamentary type of representative government is dominant in Europe. On the other hand, only one out of five government types outside Europe is parliamentary. Parliamentary government is organically linked to the legislature, or parliament. The government emerges from the assembly and can be dismissed by a vote of no confidence. At the same time, government can – often after consultations with the head of state – dissolve parliament and call for a new election.

UK In a parliamentary system such as that of the UK, the people choose representatives who form the legislature, Parliament. The head of government is the Prime Minister chosen by the Parliament. The Prime Minister chooses and removes ministers who comprise the executive government. Parliament scrutinizes government activities, passes laws and provides the government with finance. It can ultimately dismiss the executive by withdrawing its support.

Dual-power government Also called semipresidentialism An alternative to both presidentialism and parliamentarism. a constitution includes a popularly elected fixed-term president and a prime minister and cabinet who are collectively responsible to the legislature

Most cases can be found in Europe: France, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and, to some extent, Portugal, Finland, the Czech Republic and Poland. It should be noted that most of these states have developed this dual system only recently.

The exercise of political power varies greatly from one to another The exercise of political power varies greatly from one to another. For example, in some countries (particularly France), the president is usually the dominant political actor; in other countries (such as Finland), there is a sometimes uneasy balance of power between the president and prime minister; in yet others (notably Ukraine), the president and parliament share powers; and finally, in others still (including Austria, Iceland, and Ireland), the president is merely a figurehead and the prime minister dominates the decision‐making process.

Single-party government A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, single-party system is a type of state in which one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. China

Non-representative government The distinction between one-actor government and autocratic governance is made. One-actor government is characterized by the fact that one political actor – be it a party movement, or a leader – rules the state in the name of the whole nation.

Autocratic governance Autocratic governance can be characterized by one political actor who rules but not in the name of the collective interest. The same line of reasoning can be applied to military and religious rule.

Answer the following questions: 1. What is a political system? 2. Which four types can be distinguished within representative system of government? 3. In which part of the world is the parliamentary type of representative government dominant? 4. What is the foremost feature of presidential government? 5. What is the role of a head of state in parliamentary government? 6. Which type of government is perceived as an alternative to both presidentialism and parliamentarism?

Match the adjectives in the left column with the nouns or nominal phrases from the right column: legal presidency political democracies representative assembly symbolic powers popular environment consolidated system of government legislative election elected system

Complete the paragraph with the words below: election, executive, sovereignty, legislative, legislature, president Although most states have a ____________ as head of state, in most cases, the presidency is merely symbolic, and its main function is to represent the ________ of the nation and government. In other systems, however, for example the United States, the president has been assigned the role of _______________ (as head of government), and the related power is separated from the ____________ powers of the elected assembly. In most cases, the executive head of state cannot be removed by the ________________ and derives his or her legitimacy from popular ______________ to office.

Translate into English: Parlamentarizam je politički sustav koji se temelji na načelu diobe vlasti i u kojem zakonodavnu vlast ima parlament. Odnos između parlamenta i vlade temelji se na ravnoteži, koja se očituje u jednakoj mogućnosti utjecaja jednoga tijela na drugo. Parlamentarni sustav ima nekoliko ključnih ustavnih obilježja: izvršna vlast (vlada) proizlazi iz parlamenta i politički mu je odgovorna, a izglasa li parlamentarna većina vladi nepovjerenje, ona u pravilu mora odstupiti.

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