Parliaments
Denotes legislative bodies in parliamentary systems of government (Europe)
Legislatures
Denotes legislative bodies in presidential systems of government (USA)
Functions of parliaments
- Representation
- Control and oversight
- Legislation and policy making
Representation with parliaments
- Linkage (relationship between citizen and parliament)
- Representation (represent our interests
- Debating (parliament is an arena for public debate
(5 different ways of representation: formalistic, symbolic, descriptive, substantive and collective)
Control and oversight
- Control: through a no confidence vote
- Oversight: question time, special hearings, budget control
Negative powers
Powers to either express opinion on legislation, delay legislation or veto legislation
Positive powers
Amendment of legislation
Initiate their own legislation (write bills)
Filibuster
A tactic to delay or kill the legislation by long speech
Internal structure parliaments
- Number of chambers
- Parliamentary committees
- Members
Number of chambers
- Unicameral Parliament: a legislative body having only one house
- Bicameral Parliament: a legislative body having two houses (assymetric: one body has more power than the other)
Parliamentary committees
Places for specialization: institutions within the parliament where MPs are grouped together
Ad hoc committees
Formed on the basis of a particular problem and then disbanded once this issue is solved
Incumbency rates
Percentage of MPs that are returning to parliament
Ideal-typical powerful parliament (legislature)
- Elected independently of the executive
- Members elected in small constituencies
- Large powers to monitor the executive
- Right to veto and initiate legislation
- Symmetric bicameralism
- Permanent and specialized parliamentary committees
- Professional and experienced MPs
