lu 6

• Government


  The organisation, that is the governing authority of a political unit
• Governance


  The exercise of political authority and the use of institutional resources to manage society's problems and affairs
• Three organs of government

  • Legislature
  • Executive
  • Judiciary
• Legislature

  • Enacts the general rules of the society, Law-making, representation, supervision, financial, electoral, judicial, inquest, amending the constitution
• Executive


  • Refers to the whole branch of the political system – being in charge of the execution of the policies of the state, Functions: internal administration, external administration, military functions, legislative functions, judicial functions, offer services
• Judiciary


  • To ensure administration of justice, Establishing facts, interpreting laws, creating laws, upholding constitution, preventing violation of law, judicial review
• Separation of powers


  The separation of governmental powers into three arms of government: legislature, executive and judiciary
• Roles/functions of government

  • Economic (transfer of resources, collect tax, provide subsidies, increase investment/business opportunities)
  • Social (Education, social security, inter-ethnic relations, Healthcare)
  • Political (administration, regulation, law & order, foreign affairs, Military)
• Types of government


  • Federal
  • Unitary
  • Republic
  • Presidential
  • Parliamentary
  • Autocratic & Totalitarian
  • Democratic
• Federal government


  Two sets of governments - national government and constituent units (states, provinces, regions, etc), Division of power laid out by the constitution, Role of the court if constitutional matter arises (constitutional crisis)
• Federal government


  • Capable of uniting different units, Local unit can preserve certain local uniqueness & a chance for self-governance, Capable of including many cultural & political units - suitable for large countries
• Federal government


  • Military & economic benefits, Testing out policy implementation
• Federal government

  • Duplications of services at regional & federal levels, Difficulty in amending the constitution – state consent, regional objection
• Unitary government


  Sovereign power resides in the central & national government, Smaller units of governments cannot make independent decisions, The centre can withdraw the authority given to local units, The centre can re-draw or abolish the boundaries of local or regional units, Centre can override policies & actions introduced by the local units
• Unitary government


  • Uniform application of laws & policies, Simple government, little or no duplication of personnel & services, No conflict of authority, Less wasteful
• Unitary government


  • Local units could be neglected, Not suitable for a large & heterogeneous nations like Malaysia, US, Australia, etc
• Presidential system

  Organised according to the principle of separation of power, Responsibility is vested in the chief executive – the president - elected for a fixed term & independent of the legislature, President appoints heads of departments who are directly responsible to him/her, Executive is directly responsible to the electorate
• Parliamentary system


  Differs from Presidential system
• Republic

  A state not led by a hereditary monarch, People have impact on the government, Head of state is called president
• Autocracy


  Power is held by a single self-appointed leader/ruler, Ordinary people usually do not have a great deal of personal freedom, Mass participation is not allowed either through political parties or pressure groups, Effective means to control/regulate social life does not exist, Usually unstable
• Autocracy


  • No dominating political ideology, Resorts to force and coercion, Who is the ruling government? - traditional or political elite, No or weak civil liberty - mass media is controlled by the government, "Personality cult" usually exists - no respect for rule of law
• Totalitarian state


  Differs from an autocratic state in that social life is regulated by the government, Economy is controlled by the government, No "market forces", Only one party considered as politically and legally legal, There is an official ideology (usually Marxist-Leninism or Facism)
• Totalitarian state

  • Judiciary and mass media are controlled by the government - used as a means to indoctrinate the people, Criticisms on the government are not allowed - "terror" is used to silence political dissidents
• Democracy


  A form of government organised in accordance with the principle of popular sovereignty, political equality, popular consultation, and majority rule
• Characteristics of a democratic government

  • Popular participation, Pressure groups such as trade unions and other voluntary associations are free to operate and attempt to influence government decisions, The freedom to form voluntary associations, The power of the central government (executive) is limited and regulated by the law and by a separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary, The extent of political control over the social and economic spheres of life is relatively limited, Typically and ideally, democracies are ruled by civilians who compete with each other for political power in an open and non-violent manner
• Conditions for a successful democratic government

  • Educational (High level of education/exposure, Political awareness)
  • Economic (Stable economy, People have stake in the economy)
  • Sociological (Society less divided by race, religion, class)
  • Ideological (Our conception of power, authority & democratic ideals)
• The state cannot and does not exist without a government
• The government is created to enforce rules of conduct and to ensure obedience
• Governments may employ their coercive power to ensure domestic order, maintain external security and promote the collective welfare of the population