POL201Y1 Lecture 6: POL203 Lecture 06.docx
Document Summary
Notion of responsibility helps to capture essence of parliamentary system. The government is responsible to the majority of the house of commons. Prime minister and cabinet are selected from house of commons. Another notion of responsibility that is just as important. We know in a parliamentary system that is responsible for law and policy. We can point to who is in charge. Disadvantages to concentration of power in parliamentary system. Not responsible in same way harper would be if this were under his watch. More or less, in a parliamentary system you get what you want. Difficult for president obama to punish members of their party. In the last 10 years, individual legislatures have many reasons to agree with party leaders. The executive in legislature is independent in sense of having independent policy agency. The exec is not selected by the legislature in american system. That constitutional rule changes many aspects of american political evolution.
