Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Imperial Presidency, Montesquieu, Presidential System
28 Dec 2017
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Legislature: makes laws, enacts legislation: executive: implements and executes laws. Political: bureaucratic executive, public officials, civil servants, usually appointed. Structure and functions: dual executive, a head of state- queen, governor general, president, head of government- prime minister, chancellor, elected president combines these roles, ceremonial leadership, policy-making leadership, popular leadership, bureaucratic leadership, crisis leadership. Low energy, or high: montesquieu: "need of dispatch" - single individual best, harvey c. mansfield: room for manoeuvre, especially in crisis, us constitution: "energy in the executive, but- gives you either, abraham lincoln or george w. bush. Fusion of executive and legislative power: prime minister and cabinet hold legislative seats, executive falls with loss of legislative majority, non-confidence motion, head of state dissolves legislature upon request of prime minister. Presidents and presidentialism: any tiny-pot dictator can self-declare as president. Indirectly elected presidents can serve as heads of state. Separation of powers: elected president leads government, president cannot dissolve legislature.
