Government Institutions AP Comparative Government

Executives In many countries the executive is split into two different roles The head of state is a role that symbolizes and represents the people, both nationally and internationally They take part in the ceremonial roles of the country like meeting with other heads of state The head of government deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, and usually directs the activities of other members of the executive branch (or of there is no executive branch, then the members of their party)

Functions of the Executive The chief executive is responsible for the policy-making process, imitating new policies and playing an important role in their adoption They also hold other members of the executive responsible for their actions

Cabinet In parliamentary systems, the cabinet is the most important decision making body The Ministers are also leaders of the majority party of parliament or of the coalition government In presidential systems, the president chooses the cabinet They do so by looking at various demographic data while also looking towards the Senate conformation process

Bureaucracies Bureaucratic agencies are those who implement government policy Bureaucracies have increased over the last century as a way to specialize in task Bureaucracies have several basic characteristics Hierarchical authority Non-elected positions Formal qualifications for jobs Task specialization Extensive Rules Clear goals The merit principle Impersonality Red-tape\inefficiency

Democracy v Authoritarian In a democracy bureaucracies have some discretionary power This is the ability to make small decisions in implementing legislative and executive decisions This allows the bureaucracy in a democracy to have significant policymaking influence In an authoritarian regime, bureaucracies are strictly controlled by the executive and have no discretionary power

Legislative The legislative branch of government is responsible for making laws for their country Legislatures may be bicameral (two houses), or unicameral (one house) Bicameral legislatures generally exist to allow one house to represent regional governments and interests while allowing the other chamber to represent the needs and desires of the people

Functions of the legislature The legislature has a wide variety of responsibilities. These responsibilities include Elite recruitment Policymaking Budgeting of money Raising money Appointing important officals in the executive and judicial branch

Judiciary The judiciaries role varies wildly between different countries Courts in authoritarian systems have little to no independence Some have constitutional courts that determine the constitutionality of government decisions and have great independence Determining constitutionality of law is known as judicial review