Constitution and Government

Polity

Constitution

• A constitution is a set of fundamental principles and rules that govern a country, state, or organization
• It outlines the structure, powers, and limits of government, as well as the rights and duties of citizens
• Constitutions can be written or unwritten, and may be codified in a single document or dispersed across multiple sources

Government

• Government refers to the system or group of people that exercise authority and control over a country, state, or organization
• Types of government:
  • Monarchy: a system in which a monarch holds supreme power
  • Republic: a system in which power is held by the people or their elected representatives
  • Democracy: a system in which power is held by the people, either directly or through elected representatives
• Government functions:
  • Executive: responsible for enforcing laws and policies
  • Legislative: responsible for making laws
  • Judicial: responsible for interpreting laws and resolving disputes

Legislation

• Legislation refers to the process of making laws
• Types of legislation:
  • Statutes: written laws passed by a legislative body
  • Regulations: rules and guidelines created by executive agencies to implement statutes
  • Case law: laws derived from court decisions and judgments
• The legislative process:
  1. Introduction: a bill is proposed and introduced to a legislative body
  2. Debate: the bill is discussed and debated by members of the legislative body
  3. Voting: the bill is put to a vote, and if approved, it becomes a law
  4. Signing or veto: the head of the executive branch signs the bill into law or vetoes it
  5. Enactment: the law takes effect, and is enforced by the executive branch

Polity

Constitution

• A set of fundamental principles and rules that govern a country, state, or organization
• Outlines the structure, powers, and limits of government, as well as the rights and duties of citizens
• Can be written or unwritten, and may be codified in a single document or dispersed across multiple sources

Government

• Refers to the system or group of people that exercise authority and control over a country, state, or organization
• Types of government: monarchy, republic, and democracy
• In a monarchy, a monarch holds supreme power
• In a republic, power is held by the people or their elected representatives
• In a democracy, power is held by the people, either directly or through elected representatives
• Government functions: executive, legislative, and judicial
• Executive: responsible for enforcing laws and policies
• Legislative: responsible for making laws
• Judicial: responsible for interpreting laws and resolving disputes

Legislation

• Refers to the process of making laws
• Types of legislation: statutes, regulations, and case law
• Statutes: written laws passed by a legislative body
• Regulations: rules and guidelines created by executive agencies to implement statutes
• Case law: laws derived from court decisions and judgments
• The legislative process: introduction, debate, voting, signing or veto, and enactment
• A bill is introduced to a legislative body
• The bill is discussed and debated by members of the legislative body
• The bill is put to a vote, and if approved, it becomes a law
• The head of the executive branch signs the bill into law or vetoes it
• The law takes effect, and is enforced by the executive branch

Test your knowledge of constitutions and governments, including their structure, powers, and limits.