Systems of Government

1. Systems of Government Democracy

2. Democracy • Etymology: from the Greek • "demos" (the people) • "kratein" (to rule)

3. Democracy • Democracy is a very broad concept. • As a political system, it is a method of conducting government and making laws. • As a decision making process, it is a way of reaching policy decisions in which all adult citizens are entitled to participate. • As a social system, it exists to promote and protect individual freedom and equality.

4. Democracy • Democracy is built on the principle that people are by nature rational, moral, and just. • Democratic countries believe in the existence of certain human rights

5. Direct Democracy (Pure Democracy)

6. How it works • All political decisions are made directly by qualified voters. • All citizens have the right to participate in government decisions. • It is a direct democracy because the people themselves make the laws.

7. Discussion The People Laws

8. Examples of Direct Democracy • Occupy movement http://vodpod.com/watch/15571343-consensus-direct-democracy-occupy-wall-street • Swiss "Landsgemeinde" or open air assembly

9. Problems with Direct Democracy • Not all people want to be involved in the democratic process. • Requires informed voters.

10. Representative Democracy:

11. How it works • People are one step removed from Government decisions. • Adheres to the belief that the system is democratic if people have control over their elected representatives. • Citizens elect people to represent their interests. • Elected representatives meet and pass laws on behalf of the whole country

12. Accountability • Recalls, referendums and plebiscites can be used to assert control over elected representatives who are not carrying out the people's wishes.

13. Recall If a certain percentage of citizens in a constituency disapprove of how their elected representative acts or votes in parliament, they have the ability to recall the representative through a by-election.

14. Referendum • When a proposed law is submitted to a vote by the people. • The results of a referendum are binding on the government. • Popular in Switzerland and the United States.

15. Plebiscite • A way of finding out what the public is thinking via submitting the issue to a vote.

16. The People Elected Representatives Laws

17. Examples Ex: Most western democracies including Canada

18. Types of Representative Democracies • Canada • Parliamentary Democracy • United States • Republic

19. Problems Should representatives make decisions based on their own judgements or according to the wishes of their constituents?

20. Electoral Systems

21. Electoral Systems • An Electoral system provides a system of political representation that includes factors such as who can vote, rules relating to candidates and parties, and regulations for administering elections. Electoral systems can differ in the way in which: • Votes are cast • Votes are counted • The representation of votes in legislature

22. First-past-the-post • Greatest number of votes wins. • Common in Canada, Great Britain, India, USA. • To be elected to public office a candidate only needs to secure more votes than the person that comes second. • There is no requirement that the winning candidate gets a majority of the votes cast in an election. • A candidate can win, having received a minority of the votes.

23. First-past-the-post • (Don’t write this down) • Is popular, but flawed. Many countries have devised alternatives which try to rectify some of the problems with the first-past-the-post system. • Second Ballot • Alternative vote or Preferential voting.

24. First-Past-The-Post Strengths Weaknesses The system is relatively easy to understand and voting is simple. People can understand the results. Promotes party unity as minority parties are unlikely to receive representation. Often fails to reflect the way in which a nation has voted as it distorts public opinion. Consequently, public policy may be out of line with the views of the voters. Unfair treatment of minority parties (the green party) Discourages voter participation

25. Proportional Representation Seeks to guarantee that the wishes of the electorate are reflected in the composition of legislature. Parties are represented in government according to the level of popular support they receive. The country is divided into a number of multi-member constituencies.

26. Proportional representation. Strengths Weaknesses Addresses many of the defects of the first-past-the-post system. Ensures that minorities are fairly treated. Extremists are represented. Creation of multi-party systems. Coalitions are necessary and are often weak and unstable. Complex for voters to understand.

27. Canada vs. The United States

28. The United States - History • Emerged after the Revolutionary War against Great Britain at the end of the 18th century. • In 1789 George Washington was elected as President. • The people wanted a state where the people were sovereign and did not answer to a king or queen.

29. Features • Most notably the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. • Checks and Balances- the system is designed to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful (i.e. each branch has checks over the other branches, such as the President can veto a bill that comes from Congress, but Congress can over ride that veto with a two-thirds majority vote)

30. Features • Political power is more or less evenly distributed between the three branches, although each maintains its distinct powers. • Each branch has the power to stop or check any abuses of power by the other branches. • The people directly elect their leader.

31. The Executive Branch

32. The Executive Branch The Chief Executive is the President. Voters directly elect the President. The President cannot be a member of legislature. The President appoints a cabinet to enforce and administer laws. The president recommends laws to congress and signs or vetoes measures passed by Congress. The President does not need the support of the legislature to remain in office. The president does need the support of the legislature to implement legislative proposals.

33. The Executive Branch • The US President is elected by popular election (in Canada the PM is the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons) • Presidential elections are set and every four years • People cast their votes for the President, but they actually vote for and elector who is pledged to support one of the candidates; the actual vote for the President is at what is called an Electoral College • The number of Electors are based on the population of each state (i.e. California, the largest State has 55, Vermont, a small state, has 3) • This was created because the creators of the US government didn’t want people to elect the President directly

34. The Electoral System US http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=US+electoral+process&sk=&sc=3-13&mid=5E6A5FEE1EBD46AF90AB5E6A5FEE1EBD46AF90AB&FORM=LKVR2#

35. The Executive Branch Most states have a winner take all (so a candidate who has 50.1% of the vote in a state gets all the Electoral seats (Nebraska and Maine give them out based on proportion) Most of the time this system allows for a President to have the vote of over 50% of the population of the US

36. The Legislative Branch

37. The Legislative Branch • The legislature is directly elected by the voters and is usually divided into two chambers (bicameral legislature) • Upper House - Senate • Lower House - House of Representatives • Together these two form congress. • Both chambers have the power to make laws. • Together both houses can vote to override the veto of the president.

38. The Legislative Branch • Senate • Each State is allowed two Senators (100 total) • Senators balance the Representatives from large States • Elected to six-year terms • Staggered elections; every two years, one-third of the Senate is up for election (ensures veteran senators are always present)

39. The Legislative Branch • House of Representatives • Elected by popular vote (first-past-the-post) from 435 district • Districts are roughly based on population, so the number of districts a state has will be high if the state has a high population • Representatives serve two-year terms

40. The Judicial Branch

41. The Judicial Branch The judiciary is appointed by the president and interprets all legislation enacted by the legislature when asked to do so. The Court has the power to declare legislature unconstitutional, and prevent is passage into law. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court. New appointments made by the president, or legislature exercising its power to approve or deny the President's appointments serves as a check on judicial power.

42. Political Parties in the US • The Party System in the US- The Republican Party and the Democratic Party • The US is basically a two-party system; it is very difficult for a third party to get in • Advantages- no minority type governments and greater stability • Disadvantages- View points are narrowly defined under two parties and differing opinions may be ignored

43. Political Parties in the US Democrats Republicans

44. Examples of Checks and Balances Woodrow Wilson Obama vs. Boehner

45. Canada

47. Parliament

48. Canada - History Canada, like most former British possessions has a federated government. Canada opted to implement a federal system in 1867 to allow local polities to retain their cultural distinctiveness. (Quebec and the Maritimes)

49. Federal System How does this compare to the American System?

50. Canada Canada’s system of Government is a Parliamentary democracy. This is the most common form of representative democracy and is employed by Great Britain, Germany, India, Australia, Japan and Sweden.