Outline of the Discussion


 Legislatures in Presidential and
Parliamentary Systems
 Unicameral and Bicameral
Legislatures
 The Committee System
 Functional Characteristics of
Legislatures
 
 LEGISLATURES IN
PRESIDENTIAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY
SYSTEMS
 Parliamentary System

 Members of the parliament are the only
officials who are elected directly by the
citizens, and the parliament in turn selects
the head of an executive, called the prime
minister or premier, who must also be an
elected member of the body, and the other
ministers from its own ranks who will
constitute the Cabinet.
 Parliamentary System

 The executive and the Cabinet ministers
constitute the government.
 Parliamentary System

 To stay in office, the executive must retain
the support of the parliamentary majority.
 Presidential System

 In presidential system, the members of the
legislature are elected by the citizens.
 Presidential System

 The chief executive is elected separately,
usually at the same time as the members of
the legislature.
 Presidential System

The chief executive is chosen directly by the
citizens and therefore enjoys a popular
mandate, and is not accountable to the
legislature.
 Presidential System

The executive can veto or reject a law
passed by the legislature but such executive
veto can be overturned by a legislative
override.
 Presidential System

The executive veto and legislative override
serve as constitutional mechanisms of
checks and balances within the government.
 
 UNICAMERAL AND
BICAMERAL
LEGISLATURES
 Bicameral Legislature

 In a bicameral legislature, the two
chambers or houses have broadly equal
powers, perform equal functions, and
responsibilities.
 Bicameral Legislature

 One of the two chambers is based on
popular sovereignty while the other
chamber represents the subnational units
making up the state.
 Bicameral Legislature

 A second chamber makes it possible for
subnational units (districts, provinces) to be
formally represented, hence allowing
representation of the different classes and
groups.
 Bicameral Legislature

 A second chamber provides checks and
balances within the legislature.
 Bicameral Legislature

 Bicameralism is often advocated in order to
ensure a thorough deliberation of a
legislative measure, preventing hasty and
careless legislation.
 Unicameral Legislature

 Unicameral legislature is supposed to
permit speedier action in legislation than
bicameral legislatures.
 Unicameral Legislature

 Unicameral legislature is said to be less
expensive since only one body of legislators
is maintained.
 Unicameral Legislature

 Unicameral legislature is cost-efficient
since it will avoid the unnecessary
duplication of efforts (debates and
deliberations) usually found in legislatures
with two chambers.
 
 THE COMMITTEE
SYSTEM
 The Committee System

 The committee system is an integral part of
every legislature.
 The Committee System

 Committees are small work groups of
members set up in almost all legislative
bodies and established on a subject basis
 reducing the otherwise unmanageable
volume of work of members of
legislature,
 allowing some degree of specialization
among members.
 The Committee System

 Legislative committees perform two
important functions:
 workshops of lawmaking
 hold hearings to obtain information and
publicize issues
 The Committee System

 Legislature, through the committees, is
able to
 make detailed consideration of
legislative measures
 examine financial proposals
 The Committee System

 Legislature, through the committees, is
able to
 scrutinize government administration
and past expenditures
 investigate matters of public concern
 
 FUNCTIONAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF
LEGISLATURES
 Representational Function

 Representation generally means the
legislature should be a body acting slowly
and deliberately and that its foremost
concern should be to maintain a carefully
crafted balance of power among competing
interests.
 Representational Function

 There are two views on how representation
is achieved: the trustee view and the
instructed-delegate view of representation.
 Representational Function

 In the trustee view, legislatures should act
as trustees of the broad interests of the
entire society and that they should vote
against the narrow interests of their
constituents as their conscience and their
perception of national needs dictate.
 Representational Function

 In the instructed-delegate view,
legislatures should behave according to
what their constituents dictate.
 Lawmaking Function

 Legislation is the process of making laws,
and amending or repealing them.
 Lawmaking Function

Legislation involves the
formulation/initiation, deliberation,
discussion, and review of policies.
 Legislative Oversight
Function

 Oversight is the process by which the
legislature follows up on the laws it has
enacted to ensure that they are being
enforced and administered in the way the
legislature intended.
 Legislative Oversight
Function

 Oversight is done through legislative
inquiries and investigations of
governmental operations.
 Legislative Oversight
Function

 Legislative oversight can be a very effective
check on the executive and the bureaucracy.
 System Maintenance
Function

 Legislatives serve as a good training
ground for future leaders or for future
members of the executive branch.
 System Maintenance
Function

 Members of the legislature form a pool of
talent, experience, and ambition from which
leading decision makers emerge.
 System Maintenance
Function

 As multimember institutions, seats are
apportioned among different groups,
thereby facilitating integration at the mass
level.
 Mass-elite integration takes place.