PI - Political Institutions Module Overview

Political Institutions

Introduction

The study of political institutions in Comparative Politics centers on the formal structure and workings of states and governments. The rules a state sets and follows collectively are referred to as a regime. Two categories of regimes in this unit that will be compared are democracies and authoritarian systems. In addition, this unit will compare the characteristics of democracies, including parliamentary systems and presidential systems. Also, we will compare authoritarian system characteristics, which include a small group of elites that exercise power over the state, citizens with little or no input, no constitutional responsibility of leaders to the public, and restriction of civil rights and civil liberties.

Parliamentary System vs. Presidential System

Diagram representing the difference between Parliamentary Systems and Presidential Systems. Transcript is listed below image.  

In a Parliamentary System, the citizens elect a legislature who then chooses the executive. In a Presidential System, the Citizens elect both the executive and the legislature.

 

Democracy vs. Dictatorship

Diagram representing the difference between Democracies and Dictatorships. Transcript is listed below image.  

Both a Democracy and a Dictatorship will hold elections and have legislatures. However, a democracy is considered a government of the people, by the people, for the people and includes a direct or representative government. A dictatorship is by nature authoritarian where those in power hold absolute and unchallenged authority. It is also militaristic in character.

 

Module Key Terms

Before you begin your studies, make certain you are familiar with the vocabulary. 

  • Unitary System - a system that concentrates all policy-making powers in one central geographic place
  • Confederal System - a system that spreads the policy-making power among many sub-units (such as states) and has a weak central government
  • Federal System - divides the policy-making power between the central government and the sub-units
  • Head of State - a role that symbolized and represents the people, both nationally and internationally, and may or may not have any real policy making power
  • Head of Government - deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, and usually directs the activities of other members in the executive branch
  • Liberal Democracy - a political system that combines capitalist organization of the country with a democratic political system
  • Illiberal Democracy - a governing system in which, although elections take place, citizens are cut off from knowledge about the activities of those who exercise real power because of the lack of civil liberties
  • Authoritarian - a political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public
  • Cleavages - a concept used in voting analysis and is the division of voters
  • Bicameral - two houses
  • Unicameral - one house
  • Judicial Review - the ability of a court to overturn legislation or executive action
  • Independent Court - The ability of judges to decide cases as they think appropriate, regardless of what other people, and especially powerful officials or institutions, desire
  • Common Law - (case law) judicial decisions based on precedent (stare decisis); emphasis on judicial independence to interpret the law
  • Code Law - detailed statutes produced and interpreted by the government; code is authority, not previous judicial decisions
  • Religious Law - Sharia (Islamic Law)
  • Rule of Law - the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, including the quality of contract enforcement and property rights
  • Referendum - a national ballot called by the government on a policy issue
  • Initiative - a vote on a policy that is initiated by the public
  • Interest group pluralism - autonomy from the state
  • Corporatism - state and interest group autonomy mixed

Now that you have reviewed the module key terms, you are ready to complete the Political Institutions Key Terms Activity below. 

At the end of this unit, you should be able to answer these essential questions:

  • How does each of the core countries differ in the structure of their political systems?
  • What is the relationship between executives and legislatures in the core countries?
  • To what degree does each core country adhere to rule of law?
  • What functions do political parties perform in authoritarian and democratic systems?
  • How do interest groups influence government policy in the core countries?

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Levels of Government: In this lesson, we will look at the governance of states, how internal state institutions are set up and how they shape the political decision-making process.

Political Parties, Social Cleavages, and Special Interest Groups: This lesson will explore issues surrounding voting including political parties and how they impact elections, how voters are divided into groups beyond political parties, electoral systems, and the influence special interest groups may have.

Coercive Institutions: This lesson will define and explore non-democratic regimes.

 

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS OR OPENSOURCE