Government

Discuss the following: What is government in the broad sense, and what is it in the narrow sense? How can the term ‘government’ be translated into Croatian? Which are branches of government? How can governments be classified? Which are main types of government?

Government Government is the machinery or organization that carries out the administration of the state. It determines the common policies of the state and regulates its common affairs

Three branches of government Every modern government has three organs - the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The legislature makes laws, the executive enforces those laws and the judiciary delivers justice by applying the laws.

Classifications of government Governments can be classified in different ways and according to various criteria. Some of the criteria and classifications can be presented as follows: 1. On the basis of the source of power of the head of the state, a democratic government may be divided into the following divisions: a) monarchy, b) theocracy, and c) republic. 2. On the basis of the location of sovereign power, government is divided into two classes - democracy and dictatorship. 3. On the basis of the relation between the executive and the legislative, a democratic government can be divided into three categories: (1) parliamentary, (2) presidential and 3) semipresidential, or a dual-power form of government. 4. On the basis of the distribution of power between the centre and the provinces, a government is divided into two divisions, unitary and federal.

Democracy A democracy is a political system in which citizens govern themselves either directly or indirectly. The term democracy comes from Greek and means “rule of the people.” There are two popular types of democracy: direct and representative democracy. In direct democracies, people make their own decisions about the policies and distribution of resources that affect them directly (every citizen has an equal say in the workings of government).

Representative democracy In a representative democracy, citizens elect representatives who actually make the law. Within representative system of government, three types can be distinguished: 1. presidential government, 2. parliamentary government, 3. dual-power government (semipresidential)

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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4quK60FUvkY

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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkfC8J95lGw

Dual-power government Also called semi-presidentialism 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. French dual-power government: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGBw8lAATD0

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.

Non-representative government A non-representative government is one where the people do not get to decide who leads them. Authoritarianism and totalitarianism are general terms for non-democratic political systems ruled by an individual or a group of individuals who are not freely elected by their populations and who often exercise arbitrary power.

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.

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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgor9fmA6po

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.

Unitary and federal government A unitary state is a state governed as a single power in which the central government is ultimately supreme and any administrative divisions (sub-national units) exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate. A federal government is a system of dividing up power between a central national government and state governments that are connected to one another by the national government.

Fill in the appropriate verbs to complete the following statements: In many states the main function of the presidency is to ____________ the sovereignty of the nation and government. In a presidential type of government, the one-person executive _______________ the politics of government. In a parliamentary system the people _____________ representatives who form the legislature. In a coalition government a combination of parties ____________ a government that is supported by a majority in parliament. In a semi-presidential type of government the electorate __________ a more direct influence on both the executive and the legislative than in other types of representative government. Autocratic governments can be characterized by one political actor who __________ but not in the name of the collective interest.

Translate into English: 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.

Separation of powers

Three branches of government Three individual elements of the state: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary The executive: Government (Government executes the law) The legislative: Parliament as the highest legislative body (Parliament makes the law) The judiciary: the system of courts (courts enforce the law) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXXv3QrH4qs

The executive The executive branch is the one that directly governs the country. It carries out this task by designing and implementing policies in the various areas of life of a state. The executive draws up and implements development strategies, which involve allocating state budget funds to certain activities. The highest executive body in terms of power is usually a group of persons known collectively as the government in the narrow sense

Answer the following questions: What is the government in the narrow sense? Who are members of government? What is it usually called? Name at least five tasks of the government! What can the government pass without approval of the legislature?

Government - a body which exercises the executive powers in conformity with the Constitution and law Cabinet “The Government shall pass decrees, introduce legislation, propose the state budget, decide in cases of conflict of jurisdiction between government institutions, give answers to representatives’ questions and adopt strategies of economic and social development.”

The legislative carried out by a legislature, which may bear a name such as parliament or assembly; a legislature typically consists of a varying number of representatives elected by the citizens of the state. unicameral or bicameral legislatures, i.e. one or two legislative chambers. The lower chamber is commonly the directly elected one, while the upper chamber may be elected by the lower, it may represent different administrative or geographical regions of the state, or have an entirely different setup.

The judicial The judicial power is embodied in the system of courts. This branch enforces the law in court and its independence from the other two branches is seen as paramount. Judges are often prohibited from engaging in political activity as their impartiality in adjudication is a prerequisite for fair and consistent application of the law.

Thank you for your attention!