Ch 6 Political Institutions I Institutional Structures Executives Primary role is to carry out the political system s policies laws or directives Typically a few people Can be acephalous without a head In community based systems where everyone shares this power Roles of Executives Leadership roles Taking initiative in formulating articulating and implemential goals of the political system Also serves as a spokes person Symbolic and Ceremonial Roles People in the role often function as the symbol of the society Supervision of the Administration Executive has primary responsibility for implementing policies and laws of the political order Many systems have cabinets each of which serves as a supervisor for a different part of the administration Supervision of Military and Foreign Affairs Since states have a monopoly over legitimate use of force most top executives have direct control over the military They must set military policy and supervise its use Also in charge of foreign affairs Structural Arrangements Fused v Dual Executive Dual One head of state performs the more ceremonial aspects and a head of government performs the more political aspects Can be a queen religious leader or appointed leader Fused In most political systems A single actor fulfills both aspects The Executive A broader term used to refer to all people and organizational machinery that are below the chief executive If units are corrupt or disorganized if they lack resources if they are more involved in competing and if they misunderstand resist or defy the chief executive they may not carry out their jobs Legislatures Structures in which representatives of the people discuss assess and enact public policies Roles of the Legislature Enacting Legislation Draft modify and enact public policy Usually they vote to pass legislation Representing the Citizenry Represent the opinions and interests of the citizenry Representation can be interpreted 5 ways All citizens in the legislators constituency The group that is most dominant in the constituency The political party to which the legislator belongs The country as a whole The legislators own conscience A position made famous by British Politician Edmund Burke As in S Africa plurality voting and proportional representation are enacted to create more appropriate representation Issues with representative legislation Those who act against the group for what they feel is right deliver benefits to specific areas vote for policies that isn t the preference of their supporters vote in exchange for money and some only vote in a way that the rest of their party will Overseeing the Executive Can authorize policy changes and approve executive appointments Can also scrutinize executive performance Formal investigative powers on a continuing or case by case basis Ombudsman an independent agency that investigates complaints regarding the actions of the executive branch and its administrative units Legislative Structures Number of Houses stalemates Unichameral one chamber house Advantage of consolidation and avoiding Bichameral 2 chambers Advantage of more careful deliberation and both population and regional representation Size of Legislatures Generally there is a positive correlation between the population and the amount of people in congress Decline of Legislatures Have slow cumbersome procedures Most react to policy initiatives from the executive branch than creating policy Some suggest that individuals prefer a clear singular leadership Administrative Systems Administration the machinery and the process through which the state s rules and policies are applied and implemented Broken into departments bureaus agencies etc Administrative Functions and Power Provision of public goods and services applications of public policies to provide Regulation and enforcement of behavior Interpreting and applying many public policies that set up guidelines for the behavior of individuals or groups Provision of knowledge Development of expertise and using that knowledge Information management Collection storage and analysis of huge amounts of information about the people and processes in the society Resource management In charge of many tasks that extract and utilize resources for the political system Modern Administrative structure is so strong that even when it gov t fails it continues to keep the country functioning Bureaucracy as one form of Administration Max Weber stated that in a modern society the actual ruler is necessarily and unavoidably the bureaucracy Bureaucracy an organization that is hierarchical and specialized by means of an elaborate division of labor Weber also defined it by if its members apply specific rules of action to each case are rational are nondiscretionary are predictable and are impersonal Bureaucracy has come to connote a system that is too inflexible and too impersonal Judiciaries Adjudication interpret and apply the relevant rules or laws to a given situation Civil Law rules regarding relations between private actors the main objective is to settle the dispute social control Criminal Law behaves in a way disruptive to social order the objective is for Can also include cases relevant to Constitutional Administrative or Statutory Law This usually is done through arbitration International law rules that attempt to prevent and resolve disputes between state or other global actors Judicial Structures Judiciary The system of courts and personnel that determines whether the rules of the society have been transgressed and if so should sanctions be imposed Judicial review judicial structures establish the final interpretation of what the constitution and the laws mean Styles of Adjudication Common Law grounded in the general laws and rules that have been enacted by legislatures and have evolved over time Judge acting as a referee to insure that the proceedings are fair Civil Law precise application of extremely detailed legal documents Dispute Resolution find a ruling that is generally acceptable to all sides