THE LEGISLATIVE BODY AND ASSEMBLIES

Political Science 11

ASSEMBLIES

also known as parliaments or legislatures, it basically refers to a collection or gathering of

people
politically, it is referred to as the surrogate of people
can either be unicameral or bicameral
lawmaking body ; their most known function is to enact legislation

CHARLES-LOUIS DE SECONDAT MONTESQUIEU

-French political philosopher who proposed the separation of bodies
-king (enforced the law), parliament (made laws), Judges of the English court (interpreted the laws)
DOCTRINE OF SEPARATION OF POWERS
-basis of the division of the government to three branchesexecutive, legislative, and judiciary

Legislative

- prescribe general rules for the government of the society

-comprises of the house of the representatives and senate

Executive

-vested upon the president

-implement law

Judiciary

-interpret laws and to determine whether there has been a grave abuse
-the power is vested on the Supreme Court and lower courts

PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM
(The term parliament originated from the French word parler, which means to speak.)
-form of government adapted mostly by liberal democracies; mostly Westminster-style, using the UK
Parliament as the model or basis
-separate chambers were created during the 14th Century:
1. House of commons
2. House of Lords

=responsible for checking the work of government and examining new laws.
-central feature: fusion of legislative and executive branch, whose functions delve on policy making
and policy executing
-expected to deliver a responsible government
-the political party who wins an overall majority in the house of commons at a general election
forms the new government and the prime minister who is the head of the government
-prime minister appoint ministers who work in the government department
-adopted by Canada, Sweden, India, Japan, and Australia
-linked with weak government and political instability (such as the problem of executive domination)
PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM
-application of the doctrine of separation of powers ; separate election of the three branches of the
government
-applies the system of checks and balances
-virtue: to create internal tensions that help to protect individual rights and liberties through
separating the executive and legislative branches
-the government of the USA is a classic example of a presidential system
FUNCTIONS OF ASSEMBLIES

Legislation

-key function of assemblies; they are vested with this power in order for laws to be seen as
authoritative and binding
-the assembly serves as a forum wherein laws proposed are openly discussed and debated
-assemblies are constituted to suggest that the people make the laws themselves

Representation

-as representatives, assemblies provide the link between the government and the people
-assemblies as popular forums are bodies that stood for the people themselves
-parliamentary: as independent actors, representatives are responsible in exercising their own
judgment and wisdom in behalf of their constituents
-doctrine of the mandate: political parties serve as the central mechanism in which representation
takes place

Scrutiny and oversight

-checking of executive power

-aims to uphold the virtue of the government to deliver responsibility and accountability

Recruitment and training

-assemblies serve as channels of recruitment for potential leading decision-makers

Legitimacy

-assemblies function to encourage the public to see the system of rule of a current regime as
rightful
STRUCTURE OF ASSEMBLIES
-structural differences in assemblies involve the number of chambers that comprise them, as well as
the nature and role of their committee systems
-majority of assemblies are either unicameral (single chamber) or bicameral (two chambers)

UNICAMERAL

-typically exist in small or unitary states; societies with this kind of assembly believe that it is more
effective in addressing the needs of small societies
-adopted by majority of African countries, communist and post-communist states

BICAMERAL

-central principle of liberal constitutionalism; more effective in strengthening checks and balances
inside assemblies and between the executive and assemblies
-usually consists of the Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house)
-in the Philippine setting, there are 24 senators and 250 congressmen that make up for the upper
and lower houses
-practiced by half of the worlds states
ADVANTAGES
more effective in checking the power of the
executive
widen basis of representation
scrutinizing is more thorough
second chamber
safeguard

acts

as

constitutional

DISADVANTAGES
possibility of creating complexity and difficulty
in the legislative process
possibility of narrowing access to policy-making
possibility of institutional conflict in the
legislature
may introduce conservative political bias

COMMITTEE SYSTEMS
-power houses of assemblies ; hub of the legislative process

Committee small work group given specific responsibilities

1. Ad hoc committees
2. Standing committees
-functions:

carry out detailed consideration of legislative measures and financial proposals

scrutinize government administration and oversee the exercise of executive power

investigate matters of public concern (ad hoc)

ADVANTAGES
allow the representation of different views,
opinions and interests
pave the way for longer and more detailed
debates
encourage efficiency in decision-making by
restricting the scope of opposing opinions
possibility of division of labor that encourages
the accumulation of knowledge (both in
expertise and specialization)

DISADVANTAGES
may easily be manipulated by a powerful figure
encourage centralization
narrow down the scope of views and interests
taken into account during decision-making
isolation from the larger body, causing sham
representation

PERFORMANCE OF POLITICAL ASSEMBLIES

-the greatest political concern regarding assemblies is their policy impactthe capacity in shaping
or influencing the actual workings of a government
Assemblies are classified into three categories basing from executive relations and distribution
of power between executive and legislative :
1. policy-making assemblies enjoy significant autonomy, have an active impact on policy
2. policy-influencing assemblies transform policy but only by reacting to executive initiatives
3. executive-dominated assemblies exert marginal influence
Adversary Politics style of politics in which the antagonism between two major political parties
causes parliamentary debates to become a continuous polemic
DECLINE OF ASSEMBLIES
-caused by the following factors:

emergence of disciplined political parties

growth of big government
organizational weaknesses of assemblies
rise of interest group and media power

*Disciplined Political Parties

-parties rather than assemblies served as principal agents of representation under the doctrine of
mandate
-function of assemblies as debating chambers weakened due to parties
-party unity causes executive domination
*Big Government
-growth in the role of the government regarding social welfare and economic management caused
redistribution of power from the assemblies to the executive

-assemblies accepted the central role of scrutinizing and criticizing, rather than making policy (loss
of positive legislative power)
*Lack of Leadership
-egalitarian and fragmented nature of assemblies weaken their leadership and capacity to take action

*Interest Group and Media Power

-interest groups show more effectivity than assemblies in expressing the concerns of particular
groups
-media has displaced assemblies as major forums of political debate
RISE OF ASSEMBLIES
-Assemblies have become more important as communicating mechanisms (Blondel, 1973).
-mass media strengthened the public profile of assemblies through the coverage of their proceedings
-evidence in UK shows that assemblies have become more critical and independent as parties
declined to tightly disciplined blocs

REFERENCES :
Heywood, Andrew. Politics. Houndmills, Basingstoke, England: Macmillan, 1997. Print.
Rodee, Carlton Clymer, Totton James Anderson, and Carl Quimby Christol. Introduction to political
science. 2d ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. Print.
"Checks and Balances." Fact Monster: Online Almanac, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Homework
Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0777009.html