Test Bank for Introduction to
Comparative Politics, 9th Edition
3 branches of government? - ANSWERS-Executive: The executive branch is responsible for
implementing and administering the public policy enacted and funded by the legislative branch.
-Legislative: The legislative branch of government is responsible for enacting the laws of the state
and appropriating the money necessary to operate the government.
-Judicial: The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the constitution and laws and applying
their interpretations to controversies brought before it.
Constitutions can be... - ANSWERSwritten or unwritten; document form like the US or uncodified
rules
How many dominant forms of democratic constitution makers are there? - ANSWERS-presidential
(US)
-semi presidential (France)
-parliamentry (UK)
A presidential system is not solely defined by... - ANSWERShaving a president (some have ceremonial
heads of state with minimal powers)
What type of leadership does a presidential system have? - ANSWERSpresidential systems have a
directly elected president with real executive power who chooses and heads the cabinet
(government)
What is a presidential system defined by? - ANSWERSthe separation of origins; the president is
separately elected from the legislature through a national vote
Separation of survival? - ANSWERS-Executive is independent from the legislature
-The president and her/his cabinet cannot be forced to resign because of a no confidence vote by
the legislature (unless impeachment)
-And the legislature cannot be dissolved by the executive
-Both serve fixed terms
-"separation of powers"
,-This independence means that different branches of government can be controlled by different
parties
-And government can become gridlocked
In a presidential system, where do major policy changes stem from? - ANSWERSthe legislature who
makes proposals that the president signs or vetoes
A parliamentary system is a fusion of the... - ANSWERSlegislative and executive branches
Is there a separation of powers for parliamentary? - ANSWERSno
How is the executive created in a parliamentary system? - ANSWERSthe executive and cabinet
emerge from the party/coalition that controls the legislature and is not directly elected
How is a parliamentary cabinet different from a presidential one? - ANSWERS-parliamentary: comes
from the leading party/parties
-presidential: comes from allies of the president
For a parliamentary system, what does the executive (cabinet) depend on? - ANSWERSthe continued
confidence of the legislature
In a parliamentary system, can the government be removed from office? - ANSWERSyes they can be
removed without cause at any moment
How is a government removed in a parliamentary system? - ANSWERSvote of no confidence which
forces the government to resign or call an election
The head of state in a parliamentary system... - ANSWERSis often a constitutional monarch or largely
symbolic president
How does a parliamentary system make laws? - ANSWERSexecutive controls the agenda while the
legislature decides whether to accept or reject proposals; there is no veto power
,3 elements of Duverger's definition for semi presidential system? - ANSWERS1. the president of the
republic is elected by universal suffrage
2. he possesses quite considerable powers
3. opposite of him is a prime minister and ministers who possess executive and governmental power
and can stay in office only if the parliament does not show its opposition to them
What countries use a semi presidential system? - ANSWERSFrance and some communist states in
Eastern Europe
Who is directly elected in a semi presidential system? Who has the executive powers? -
ANSWERSpresident and prime minister; both have executive powers (dual executive)
President in a semi presidential system? - ANSWERShead of the state and army and has independent
powers
Prime minister in a semi presidential system? - ANSWERSheads the cabinet but is dependent on the
legislature
Who does not directly control the cabinet in a semi presidential system? - ANSWERSpresident
How is it when the president and prime minister are from the same party in a semi presidential
system? Cohabitation? - ANSWERS-same: prime minister acts as a second to the president
-cohabitation: president focuses on foreign policy, prime minister on domestic policy
Is the government responsible to the elected legislature? - ANSWERSno - presidential system
Is the government responsible to the elected legislature? - ANSWERSyes - parliamentary or semi
presidential
Is the head of state popularly elected for a fixed term? - ANSWERSyes - semi presidential
no - parliamentary
What is the most popular system for democracy? - ANSWERSpresidentialism; multiple SSA countries
have switched from parliamentary to presidential and none have done the other way around
, What system is seen as weaker and more likely to fail? - ANSWERSpresidential; there is only one long
lived democracy that is also presidential; expected life is only 24 years; Costa Rica is the only one
from the 1950s still existing
Perils of presidential? (8) - ANSWERS-lack of majoritarian imperative
-dual legitimacy and deadlock
-fixed terms and rigidity
-zero sum
-opportunities for outsiders
-weak political parties
-accountability
-not the system...
Lack of majoritarian imperative? - ANSWERS-parliamentary government needs a majority in the
legislature; this forces parties to cooperate if a majority is lacking
-the government does not fall and new elections are not demanded
-minority government can and often do prevail in multiparty systems
-a fractured party system in a presidential democracy is seen as a source of danger
-if there were 3 or 4 parties, there would be no requirement for them to work together
-no one can dissolve Congress and call new elections
Dual legitimacy and deadlock? - ANSWERS-because presidents and legislatures are elected
independently, presidential regimes afford two competing claims to legitimacy, one by the president
and the other by congress
-weak parties and the lack of a majoritarian imperative mean that it is often the case that the
legislature and the executive are controlled by different parties, or there is disagreement despite the
two branches being controlled by the same party
-government is therefore often conflictual
-this deadlock will not end until new elections, so it could persist for years
-deadlock could lead to dictatorship
-it may lead to the President using emergency powers to override the legislature starting a slide
towards authoritarianism
-emergency powers are more common in presidential systems
Comparative Politics, 9th Edition
3 branches of government? - ANSWERS-Executive: The executive branch is responsible for
implementing and administering the public policy enacted and funded by the legislative branch.
-Legislative: The legislative branch of government is responsible for enacting the laws of the state
and appropriating the money necessary to operate the government.
-Judicial: The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the constitution and laws and applying
their interpretations to controversies brought before it.
Constitutions can be... - ANSWERSwritten or unwritten; document form like the US or uncodified
rules
How many dominant forms of democratic constitution makers are there? - ANSWERS-presidential
(US)
-semi presidential (France)
-parliamentry (UK)
A presidential system is not solely defined by... - ANSWERShaving a president (some have ceremonial
heads of state with minimal powers)
What type of leadership does a presidential system have? - ANSWERSpresidential systems have a
directly elected president with real executive power who chooses and heads the cabinet
(government)
What is a presidential system defined by? - ANSWERSthe separation of origins; the president is
separately elected from the legislature through a national vote
Separation of survival? - ANSWERS-Executive is independent from the legislature
-The president and her/his cabinet cannot be forced to resign because of a no confidence vote by
the legislature (unless impeachment)
-And the legislature cannot be dissolved by the executive
-Both serve fixed terms
-"separation of powers"
,-This independence means that different branches of government can be controlled by different
parties
-And government can become gridlocked
In a presidential system, where do major policy changes stem from? - ANSWERSthe legislature who
makes proposals that the president signs or vetoes
A parliamentary system is a fusion of the... - ANSWERSlegislative and executive branches
Is there a separation of powers for parliamentary? - ANSWERSno
How is the executive created in a parliamentary system? - ANSWERSthe executive and cabinet
emerge from the party/coalition that controls the legislature and is not directly elected
How is a parliamentary cabinet different from a presidential one? - ANSWERS-parliamentary: comes
from the leading party/parties
-presidential: comes from allies of the president
For a parliamentary system, what does the executive (cabinet) depend on? - ANSWERSthe continued
confidence of the legislature
In a parliamentary system, can the government be removed from office? - ANSWERSyes they can be
removed without cause at any moment
How is a government removed in a parliamentary system? - ANSWERSvote of no confidence which
forces the government to resign or call an election
The head of state in a parliamentary system... - ANSWERSis often a constitutional monarch or largely
symbolic president
How does a parliamentary system make laws? - ANSWERSexecutive controls the agenda while the
legislature decides whether to accept or reject proposals; there is no veto power
,3 elements of Duverger's definition for semi presidential system? - ANSWERS1. the president of the
republic is elected by universal suffrage
2. he possesses quite considerable powers
3. opposite of him is a prime minister and ministers who possess executive and governmental power
and can stay in office only if the parliament does not show its opposition to them
What countries use a semi presidential system? - ANSWERSFrance and some communist states in
Eastern Europe
Who is directly elected in a semi presidential system? Who has the executive powers? -
ANSWERSpresident and prime minister; both have executive powers (dual executive)
President in a semi presidential system? - ANSWERShead of the state and army and has independent
powers
Prime minister in a semi presidential system? - ANSWERSheads the cabinet but is dependent on the
legislature
Who does not directly control the cabinet in a semi presidential system? - ANSWERSpresident
How is it when the president and prime minister are from the same party in a semi presidential
system? Cohabitation? - ANSWERS-same: prime minister acts as a second to the president
-cohabitation: president focuses on foreign policy, prime minister on domestic policy
Is the government responsible to the elected legislature? - ANSWERSno - presidential system
Is the government responsible to the elected legislature? - ANSWERSyes - parliamentary or semi
presidential
Is the head of state popularly elected for a fixed term? - ANSWERSyes - semi presidential
no - parliamentary
What is the most popular system for democracy? - ANSWERSpresidentialism; multiple SSA countries
have switched from parliamentary to presidential and none have done the other way around
, What system is seen as weaker and more likely to fail? - ANSWERSpresidential; there is only one long
lived democracy that is also presidential; expected life is only 24 years; Costa Rica is the only one
from the 1950s still existing
Perils of presidential? (8) - ANSWERS-lack of majoritarian imperative
-dual legitimacy and deadlock
-fixed terms and rigidity
-zero sum
-opportunities for outsiders
-weak political parties
-accountability
-not the system...
Lack of majoritarian imperative? - ANSWERS-parliamentary government needs a majority in the
legislature; this forces parties to cooperate if a majority is lacking
-the government does not fall and new elections are not demanded
-minority government can and often do prevail in multiparty systems
-a fractured party system in a presidential democracy is seen as a source of danger
-if there were 3 or 4 parties, there would be no requirement for them to work together
-no one can dissolve Congress and call new elections
Dual legitimacy and deadlock? - ANSWERS-because presidents and legislatures are elected
independently, presidential regimes afford two competing claims to legitimacy, one by the president
and the other by congress
-weak parties and the lack of a majoritarian imperative mean that it is often the case that the
legislature and the executive are controlled by different parties, or there is disagreement despite the
two branches being controlled by the same party
-government is therefore often conflictual
-this deadlock will not end until new elections, so it could persist for years
-deadlock could lead to dictatorship
-it may lead to the President using emergency powers to override the legislature starting a slide
towards authoritarianism
-emergency powers are more common in presidential systems
