Deck 7: Legislatures

Question 1

What is a Congress?

A) The legislature within a presidential system.
B) The legislature within a fused-power system.
C) The legislature within a parliamentary system.
D) The legislature within a semi-presidential system.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What are the main characteristics of parliamentary systems? Please select all that apply.

A) The executive branch is selected from, within and by the legislature.
B) The executive can be removed from office any time.
C) Mutual dependence between executive and legislature.
D) An independent selection of executive branch and legislature.

Answer 2

A,B,C

Question 3

What are tools of the legislature within the policy-making process? Please select all that apply.

A) Consultation
B) Delay
C) Veto
D) Budget control

Answer 3

A,B,C

Question 4

Why is the linkage normally stronger in parliamentary systems?

A) Voters have no opportunity to communicate their preferences directly to the executive branch through the electoral process. Therefore, linkage is necessary.
B) There is generally a stronger impact of the legislature on policy making in parliamentary systems and therefore the linkage is stronger.
C) Lobbying is an integral part in parliamentary systems which strengthens the linkage.
D) The accountability of members of parliament is stronger in parliamentary systems and so is the linkage.

Question 5

What is the difference between trustees and delegates?

A) Trustees are seen as agents for the whole society while delegates are seen as agents of their voters.
B) Trustees are seen as agents of the whole population while delegates are seen as representing socially defined groups.
C) Trustees are members of the lower house while delegates typically are members of the upper house.
D) Trustees are fully professionalized members of parliament while delegates are non-professional members.

Question 6

In a symmetric bicameral system, we speak of equally shared power if each chamber has specific, but more or less equally important powers.

Question 7

What are possible indicators to measure the influence of committees on the legislature? Please select all that apply.

A) The number of their members.
B) Their degree of specialization.
C) Their permanency.
D) The order in which proposals move between the committee and the plenum.

Question 8

Which of the following statements are correct? Please select all that apply.

A) The independence of a party member is strongly influenced by the electoral system.
B) The power to elect and dismiss the executive branch enhances the independence of the members of parliament.
C) The independence of a party member is stronger in PR systems than in systems with majority voting.
D) State funding for electoral campaigns reduces the autonomy of individual party-members.

Question 9

Whats the type of legislatures.

Question 10

There are two aspects of a legislature's autonomy. 1.) Institutional independence, 2.) _________ independence.