Legislatures: Comparative Politics Week 5

Legislatures: Comparative Politics Week 5

• Three branches of power exist: executive, legislature, and judiciary.
• Executives implement laws, while legislatures enact them.
• Judiciaries interpret laws and adjudicate on their meaning.
• "Assembly" can refer to houses or chambers, and is interchangeable with "legislature" or "parliament".
• A key feature of any political system is the relationship between legislative and executive authority.

Parliamentary System of Government

• Many liberal democracies employ a parliamentary system.
• In this system, an executive branch is accountable to an assembly, which is elected by the electorate.

Functions of Assemblies

• Key functions include: legislation, representation, scrutiny and oversight, political recruitment, and legitimacy.
• Assemblies are often vested with legislative power, though rarely monopolize it completely.
• Assemblies act as representatives of the people, though the practical implementation of this role can be unclear.

Representation (Pitkin)

• Representation can be examined through different lenses: formalistic, descriptive, symbolic, and substantive.
• Saward (2006) highlights the creative aspect of representation, emphasizing how representatives make claims about themselves and their constituents.

Scrutiny and Oversight

• Modern assemblies increasingly act as scrutinizing bodies, aiming to hold the executive accountable.
• Effective oversight depends on well-resourced representatives with access to research and expert advice.

Recruitment and Training

• Assemblies often serve as recruitment channels for future leaders.
• This role is less apparent in authoritarian or presidential systems.
• Some argue that assemblies can "corrupt" politicians by influencing them away from constituent needs.

Legitimacy

• A fundamental role for assemblies is to bolster a regime's legitimacy by promoting the idea that the system is rightful.
• This is applicable even in authoritarian and totalitarian states.

Structure of Assemblies

• Unicameralism involves a single legislative chamber (e.g., Israel).
• Bicameralism features two legislative chambers, typically with co-equal powers (e.g., UK).

Assemblies in Decline

• The 20th century witnessed a decline in the power and status of assemblies due to:
• Rise of disciplined political parties
• Growth of large-scale government
• Internal organizational weaknesses
• Rise of interest groups and media power