Political Institutions
Levels of Government
Executives, Cabinet, Bureaucracies,
Legislatures, Judiciary
Defining Political Institutions
• Political Institutions – structures of a political
system that carry out the work of governing.
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Executives
Legislatures
Bureaucracies
Judicial Systems
Levels of Government
Unitary System – concentrates all
policymaking powers in one central
government (geographic) place
Ex.) Britain, Iran, China
Confederal System – spreads the
power among many sub-units and
has a weak central government.
Ex.) United States (1781-1788)
Federal System – divides the power
between the central government &
the sub-units
Ex.) Russia, Mexico, Nigeria, U.S.
Executives
• Executive– carries out the
laws and policies of a state.
British Government Example
– Head of State
• Symbolizes and Represents the
people (nationally &
internationally)
• May not have any real
policymaking power
– Head of Government
• Everyday tasks of running
government
• Directs activities of other
members of Executive Branch
– Head of State & Government
Queen Elizabeth II
President Barack
Obama
Legislatures
• Legislature – branch of government charged with
making laws.
– Unicameral – one house legislature
– Bicameral - two house legislature
• Advantages
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Allows representation for both region & population
Counterbalance disproportionate power in any one region
Disperses power
Guards against impulsive legislation
Unicameral vs. Bicameral Legislatures
Bicameral
Unicameral
Legislatures
Functions of Legislatures
 Formulate, debate & vote on policies
 Control budget (often) – taxing and spending
 Some appoint officials in the executive & judicial
branches
 Elite Recruitment – identifying future leaders of the
government
 Policy Making?
 Ex.) U.S. Congress – active role in forming and enacting
legislation
 Ex.) National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of
China – primarily a rubberstamp for policy developed by
Communist Party
Bureaucracies
• Bureaucracies – consist of agencies that
implement government policy.
– Characteristics
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Non-Elected Positions
Impersonal, Efficient/Goal-Orientated Structures
Hierarchical Organization
Red tape/inefficiency
Ex.) Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Ex.) Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
Bureaucracies
Concerns over Political Role/Powers
Discretionary Power – the power to make small
decisions in implementing legislative and executive
decisions.
ISSUE – Democratic beliefs require decisions to be made by
elected officials, not by appointed bureaucrats.
Former white House Chief of
Staff Rahm Emanuel had
tremendous influence in the
executive branch, yet he wasn’t
elected to this position.
Judiciaries
Role of the Judiciary
 Vary from country to country
 Authoritarian Systems:
 Courts generally have little to no independence and their decisions
are controlled by the chief executive.
 Democratic Systems:
 Constitutional Courts – serve to defend democratic principals
against infringement by both citizens and the government.
 Judicial Review – allows courts to review laws and executive actions
for their constitutionality
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
1st Supreme Court decision
to determine an act of
Congress was
unconstitutional – thus
establishing the authority of
Judicial Review