| How can it be seen that Parliament and Congress are the same? | -Both can Initiate and Amend Legislation
-Determine whether the Law is Passed, or not
-Vote Against the Executive Proposals
-Scrutinises the Executive |
| How can it be seen that Congress is more Powerful than Parliament? | -Congress is much more Independent from the Executive than Parliament is. This is because of the Separation of Powers in the USA. Parliament may not challenge the Government as such
-Congress has 2 Powerful Chambers, and Parliament has one. The Lords are much more limited and Less Legit
-USCON gives greater Powers to Congress to check the Executive. Ratifying Appointments and Treaties are for the Senate. In the UK, the PM |
| How can it be seen that Parliament is more Powerful than Congress? | -Parliamentary Sovereignty gives Parliaments to make any Law it want to. Constitutional Sovereignty in the USA allows the Supreme Court to overturn Acts of Congress if deemed Unconstitutional
-Imperial Presidency Theory says the C+B system in the US is Ineffective and Outdated. Parliament is at least as Powerful as Congress, if not Kore
-Parliament is much better at Passing Legislation than Congress, because of how Weak the Lords are. More Party Discipline and Fused Powers also help |
| What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the House of Commons | S: Strong Party Disciple via Patronage and Whips
S: Governments have a Majority usually allowing for a more Streamlined Legislative Process
S: Third Parties are becoming more Relevant recently - Reform UK?
W: Single Party Majorities + Fused Powers makes Ovesight on the Executive Weak.
W: Safe Seats can make the House unrepresentative. Also FPTP
W: The House does not reflect British Society |
| What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the House of Representatives | S: Common Elections give the House a Strong Mandate & Link with Constituents.
S: Party Unity Scores are High usually, as well as Representatives are not locked to the Party Line
S: Being able to control Money, as they represent the Tax Payers, is Respectful
W: Incumbency Rates being so High undermines the Representative Role
W: Money's role in Elections promotes an Elitist Form of Democracy
W: Effectiveness of Scrutiny depends on Party Control of the House and President Party |
| What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the House of Lords? | S: The Lord's Unelected Nature gives them a more Long Term focus on Legislation rather than Short Term Public Opinion
S: Since 1999, the Lords have been more willing to Scrutinise the Government
S: 1999 Reforms made the House more Legitimate with more Experts and less Peers
W: The unelected Nature of the Lords undermines their legitimacy
W: Salisbury Convention and Parliaments Acts of 1911and 1949 have limited the Lord Powers
W: Inclusion of the Lord's Spiritual (Bishops of CoE) and Hereditary Peers undermines the Representative Function that the Lords have |
| What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Senate? | S: Staggered, but Frequent Elections, allow for a Renewal of Senators and maintain Political Continuity.
S: Equal Representation of States and Power of Individual Members ensures Small States are not Ignored
S: The Senate has shown off its Exclusive Powers of Oversight like Confirming and Rejecting Presidential Appointments
W: Unanimous Consent gives Individuals a lot of Power to OVerride the Majority.
W: The Great Compromise makes Smaller States very Over-Represented.
W: Many of the Senate's Exclusive Powers could be Circumvented by the President, such as Executive Agreements |
| What setbacks does the Lord face when comparing to the Senate? | -The Lords are Unable to Reject Government Bills Entirely, but the Senate can prevent Legislation from passing
-The Lords is not given the same amount of Executive Scrutiny as the Senate, like Ratification of Treaties and Appointments. |
| How can the Structural Approach help in understanding the differences between Congress and Parliament? | -The structural approach is useful because the Constitution sets its Powers and Limits
-Separation of Powers makes Congress more Influential and Powerful than Parliament. The Fusion of Powers makes the UK more Executive Dominated. |
| How can the Cultural Approach help in understanding the role of Groups within Parliament and Congress? | -Parties have a Greater Impact in Britain than in America.
-Individuals work together in the UK, due to Parties being less Ideologically Diverse, whereas in America it is much Broader
-This may affect Congress's Legislative power as it can find it less Able to Pass Laws, because of a lack of Party Unity.
-However, there is case to say at times there are Strong Party Cultures in both Legislature because of Hyper-Partisanship |
| How can the Rational Approach help in understanding the Self-Interested Motivations of politicians? | -In Parliament and Congress, Politicians act in a Self-Interested way to Advance their Political Careers or secure Re-Election
-Politicians may explore the Structures of the Executive and Party Leaders, or the Cultural Expectation of Party Membership, to Respond to Public Opinion and be Re-Elected |
