PS 170

Introduction to Comparative Politics

ALUG, DE ASIS, LOZADA

I. Parliamentary Executives
A. Definition - An arrangement in which the executive emerges from the legislature
(most often in the form of a coalition), remains accountable to it, and must resign
if it loses a legislative vote of no confidence.
B. Features
1. Executives are organically linked to the assembly.
2. The leader (PM or Chancellor) is normally the head of the largest party in
parliament, continues to hold a seat in parliament while also running the
country, and is subject to neither a separate election nor to term limits.
3. There is a separate head of state who works in conjunction with the head
of government, and has little substantive power.
4. Most government ministers are also members of parliament (except
Sweden).
5. Prime Ministers make appointments to other key government institutions,
and are rarely subject to confirmation by the legislature.
6. A Prime Minister can be removed from office as a result of a vote of no
confidence, and can usually call new elections before the full term of a
legislature has run its course.
7. In contrast to the clear focus of the presidential system, parliamentary
government involves a subtle and variable relationship between prime
minister, cabinet, and ministerial governments.
C. Cabinet
1. Definition - A body consisting of the heads of the major government
departments. Sometimes known as a Council of Ministers. More important
in parliamentary than in presidential systems.
2. Advantage of Cabinet Government
a) Encourage more deliberation and;
b) More collective leaderships than occurs in a presidential system
3. Cabinet government at work
a) By law, the Finnish State Council (the cabinet) is granted
extensive decision-making authority
b) “The prime minister is unlikely to achieve a position as a
superstar.”
c) Discussion in cabinet determines overall policy. (Example:
Finland)
D. Types of Parliamentary Government
1. Prime Ministerial
a) The Prime Minister is a dominant gure, dealing directly with
individual ministers.
 b) The guiding principle is hierarchy rather than collegiality.
c) The chancellor answers to parliament, while ministers answer to
the chancellor.
d) An example is Germany, they have an arrangement known as a
‘chancellor democracy’ in which the lower house appoints the
chancellor, and accountability to the lower house is through the
chancellor’s office.
2. Cabinet
a) Discussion in cabinet determines overall policy.
b) Has the advantage of encouraging more deliberation and
collective leadership than occurs in a presidential system.
c) An example is Finland. The Finnish State Council (the cabinet)
has an extensive decision-making authority, and prime ministers
are mainly chairs of Council meetings.
3. Ministerial Government
a) Individual ministers operate with little direction from the prime
minister or cabinet.
b) Arises when ministers operate without extensive direction from
either prime minister or cabinet.
c) A decentralized pattern which can emerge either from respect for
expertise, or from the realities of a coalition.
E. Coalition Government
1. Definition: An arrangement in which the government is formed through an
agreement involving two or more parties which divide government posts
between them.
2. Three Main Forms of Coalition Government
a) Majority coalition government
b) Two or more parties with a majority of seats join together.
c) This is the most common form of rule in continental Europe.
3. Minority coalition or alliance
a) Parties, even working together, still lack a parliamentary majority.
b) Minority coalitions have predominated in Denmark since the
1980s.
4. Single-party minority government.
a) Formed by the largest party.
b) These are common in Norway and Sweden
5. Several different types of Coalition
a) “Minimum winning coalitions” (MWCs)- contain the smallest
number of parties needed to make a viable government, which is
typically, two to four.
b) “Connected coalitions” - coalitions are usually based on par- ties
with adjacent positions on the ideological spectrum.
c) Grand coalitions – between two major parties
d) “Oversized coalitions” - obtaining more parties than are needed for
a majority. These arrangements typically emerge when the
partners are uncertain about the stability of their pact, or there is
need to address policy problems of a kind where it makes
strategic sense to win the support of as many par- ties as
possible.