Comparative Analysis of Democratization prof. Fulvio Venturino Comparative Politics Principles of Democracy and Democratization Chapter 8: Legislatures and Executives

The key questions The relative merits of alternative forms of government The organization of political institutions and democratization

Presidentialism defined separation of powers between the various branches of government presidents are directly elected through some type of nationwide vote presidents serve fixed terms, not dependent on the continued confidence of the legislature presidents form their own cabinets

Parliamentarism defined parliamentary systems separate the two roles of the head of state and head of government, with the former in a largely ceremonial role the head of government’s authority is dependent on maintaining support in the legislature a distinguishing feature of parliamentary governments is the absence of fixed terms party discipline is crucial, because if parties cannot ensure that their representatives will vote as a bloc, then they will not appear to be attractive coalition partners

Semi-presidentialism defined The president wields extensive powers: has the ability to make laws via decrees; may dissolve the legislature and call for new elections; may refer treaties or certain types of laws to a popular referendum; is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces; appoints the prime minister, who is afterward confirmed by the legislature; can name and dismiss ministers in the cabinet, but only with the consent of the prime minister However, the division of labor between the presidency and the prime minister is not always clearly delineated When the president and prime minister are from different parties, then there is the practice of cohabitation

Key benefits of presidential systems the government efficiency the representativeness of the entire population the checks and balances system

Key benefits of parliamentary systems the unified legislature-executive relationship prevents that an ineffective president can scapegoat the legislature for policy failures a vote of no confidence allows for the removal of a prime minister and cabinet at any time legislatures monitors the activities of the executives through the process of interpellation parliamentary systems are thought to be more conducive to the formation of organizationally strong and disciplined political parties

Are presidential systems conducive to the development of democracy? competing legitimacies can lead to deadlock and policy paralysis pressured by term limits, presidents may pursue ill-conceived policy initiatives the winner-take-all nature of electoral competition prevents power-sharing presidentialism fosters personalization, and equates the survival of the state with the personality of the president

But is presidentialism really dangerous for new democracies? evidence is predominantly based on the Latin American experience, and neglects stable presidencies found in other regions it also fails to notice unstable parliamentary systems in Asia and Africa the problems that have been associated with presidentialism are really the result of the use of FPTP electoral rules those who point to the perils of presidentialism also overlook the potential beneficial aspects of presidential systems

The role of cabinet in parliamentary systems In parliamentary systems, prime ministers are elected by their governing coalition but not all prime ministers are equally powerful first above unequals: Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom first among equals: Italy, the Netherlands, Norway

How does one discern between powerful and weak prime ministers? Researchers have relied on the prime minister’s authority vis-à-vis fellow members of the executive branch the prime minister’s ability to navigate through the policy-making process his ability to remove and appoint members of the executive branch

The role of cabinet in presidential systems Cabinet members are generally seen as advisors to the president They are strongly subordinate to the president They are primarily responsible to the president rather than the legislature The president has wide latitude in selecting cabinet members, and they are often selected outside of the president’s party

The role of cabinet in semi-presidential systems President appoints the members of the cabinet, including the prime minister The president is free to choose whomever he sees fit to be a minister, including members of parties other than the president’s own party However, the cabinet is responsible to parliament The cabinet is not merely a set of advisors to the president, but formulates policy much along the same lines as in parliamentary systems

The legislative process in the US and in the UK: the speaker In both the US House of Representatives and the UK House of Commons, the principal presiding officer is the Speaker of the House however, in the US House the Speaker is much more powerful

The legislative process in the US and in the UK: the committees In both cases, a committee system exists which is part of the legislative process In the US system, committees and subcommittees can effectively alter and block legislation before it reaches the floor of Congress for a vote The committees in the House of Commons do not have such power to block legislation

What about the Upper House? In a comparative perspective, most parliamentary systems have legislative processes similar to Britain’s However, in all types of systems the upper house is usually not powerless Finally, the lower house can override the upper house and veto legislation