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Dimensions for evaluating democratic
institutions.
 Normative
 Positive
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Defining presidential, parliamentary, and
mixed democracies
How do they work?
Implications of executive-legislative relations
for policies and stability of democracy.

Protection of liberty
 Protection of minorities
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Decisiveness, especially under stress
Credibility of commitments
Stability
Quality of democracy
 Representativeness
 Accountability
 Rent-seeking and corruption
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Public versus private goods
Broad versus targeted programs and
expenditures
The extent of redistribution
Budget deficits
Size of government as a share of GDP

Crucial questions:
 How is the executive selected?
 Is the executive dependent on legislative
confidence?
French
Prime
Minister
French
president

Protection of liberty, prevention of tyranny.

Protection of liberty, prevention of tyranny.
 Some issues:
▪ Madison and Hamilton: Ambition should counteract
ambition
▪ But tyranny in parliamentary democracies?
▪ Too much power in hands of president? Russia? Too
easy to fall into authoritarianism?

Decisiveness, especially under stress.

Decisiveness, especially under stress.
 Some issues:
▪ Madison and Hamilton again: Good to have one
individual rather than collegial executive
▪ Can’t a PM be decisive?
▪ What about presidents without legislative backing?

Credibility of commitments, policy stability

Credibility of commitments, policy stability
 Some issues:
▪ Uncertainty about coalitions
▪ Decree authority
▪ Gridlock


Stability of democracy.
What did you learn in the readings?

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Stability of democracy.
What did you learn in the readings?
Why do presidential democracies fail?
 Gridlock, divided government
▪ Why do presidential systems end up with divided
government?

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
Stability of democracy.
What did you learn in the readings?
Why do presidential democracies fail?
 Gridlock, divided government
▪ Why do presidential systems end up with divided
government?
▪ Geography
▪ Balancing


The disciplining role of the no-confidence
procedure
What incentives do individual members of
the legislature face?

Is there a problem with presidential
democracy, or perhaps a problem with multiparty presidential democracy?


In the United States?
In a multi-party presidential system like
Brazil?

Rent-seeking and corruption?

Rent-seeking and corruption?
 Some issues:
▪ Parliamentarism: Politicians can collude, less oversight
because of lacking division of power
▪ But what about the problem of decree authority under
presidentialism?

Pork versus national collective goods

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The “quality” of democracy
What did Bagehot say?
 Accountability
 Responsiveness

What kinds of countries choose
presidentialism?

What kinds of countries choose
presidentialism?
 Moments when demands for strong leadership
are overwhelming.
 Constitutions written by “strongmen” (De Gaul,
Yeltsin).
 History of military involvement in politics.
 Large and diverse countries?