Comparative Government

Comparative Government Systems
*In the United States we have democratic republican system of government, which features a mixed economy that is mostly capitalist with hints of socialism. We as a culture, partly due to our geographic isolation from the rest of the world, and partly due to American nationalism do not know that much about other systems of Government and Economics. We will study systems of government and economics that are different from our systems.

Great Britain
*Britain is classified as a constitutional monarchy; the King or Queen serves as head of state. Although Britain is a constitutional monarchy it is also classified as a democracy because laws are made by a legislative body called Parliament. Great Britain, also called the United Kingdom, is made up of the kingdoms of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

-British Constitution: The British Constitution is an unwritten constitution, which is essentially made up of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, a system of precedents laid down by the British court system, and laws enacted by Parliament. Since the British Constitution is unwritten all it takes to change it is a new law enacted by Parliament.

-The British Monarchy: The British monarchy is essentially powerless. It is basically a family of figureheads who serve as heads of state and participate in government only through ceremonial duties. The monarchy serves as a symbol of unity and history for the British people. Currently the monarch of Great Britain is Queen Elizabeth II.

-Parliament: The legislature of Great Britain is called Parliament. Parliament holds almost all the power of government in Britain. British Parliament is a bicameral legislature with an upper house called the House of Lords, and a lower house called the House of Commons.

-The House of Lords: The House of Lords has over 1,200 members. Most members inherit the title Lord; others are awarded the title Lord from the monarch. The House of Lords has very few real powers, it is mostly just a formality for laws to be passed by the House of Lords. All bills must pass the House of Commons first in order to become law; the bill must also pass the House of Lords to become a law, but any bill that is vetoed by the House of Lords can be easily overturned by the House of Commons. The only real powers the House of Lords has is that it can amend proposed bills and send them back to the House of Commons, and it can delay the passage of bills.

-The House of Commons: Member of the House of Commons are simply referred to as MP’s, or members of parliament. They are elected by the people in a unique way. Citizens of Britain elect MP’s by voting in elections for political parties. Seats in Parliament are awarded to each party according to the percentage of the vote they gain in the election. There are 651 members of parliament, an MP’s terms in Parliament can last up to 5 years. The vast majority of laws in Britain are made in the House of Commons.

-The National Government: The political leadership of Britain is referred to as the National Government. The National Government is made up of the Prime Minister and his or her cabinet of Ministers. The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party with a majority in Parliament. The Prime Minister appoints other members of Parliament to serve as his or her Ministers. The main duties of the Prime Minister are to propose bills, and to call elections. Elections must be held at least every 5 years in Britain, however the Prime Minister can call for new elections whenever he or she wishes. The current Prime Minister of Great Britain is Tony Blair who is a member of the Labour Party.

France
*France has a unitary system of government and is a democratic republic. France is like Britain in that it has a parliamentary system of government. France is also similar to the United States in that is has a strong, elected executive branch. France’s economic system is a blended one that combines features of socialism with features of capitalism. The French economy is one of the most socialistic economies in Europe.

-The French Constitution: The French constitution has only been in existence since 1958. Since 1789 the French government has been changed many times, going from a monarchy to a republic, to an empire, back to a republic, the nation then became occupied by the Germans during WWI, then it went back to being a republic before it was occupied by the Nazi’s during WWII, after WWII it again became a republic. The republic set up after WWII was a miserable failure, the multi-party system that was established divided the nation into many factions and it became almost impossible for Parliament to get anything done. Parliament dissolved the government in 1958; a new, more modern Constitution that featured a strong executive was written and the Fifth Republic was established.

-The Executive Branch: The executive branch of the French government consists of the President, the Premier, and the Cabinet.

-President: The leader of the French government is the
President. The President is elected directly by the people of
France to serve a term that lasts 7 years. The President of
France has mostly all the same powers as our President does;
he also has a few special powers. The French President has the
right to call a national referendum on an issue; this allows the
people of France to vote directly on an issue, he has the power
to declare himself a dictator during times of national
emergencies, he has the power to appoint a Premier, and he has
the power to rule by decree on any issue not defined in the
Constitution as a matter for parliament to decide. Currently the
President of France is Jacques Chirac.
-Premier: The President of France appoints a Premier. The role
of Premier is similar to the role of the British Prime Minister.
The Premier appoints a cabinet and together they carry out the
day to day tasks of running the government. The main role of
the Premier is to attend meetings of Parliament and to use his
influence to push the agenda of the President in Parliament.
Currently the Premier of France is Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

-Parliament: France has a bicameral legislature with an upper house called the Senate and a lower house called the National Assembly. The French parliament is very similar to the British Parliament in that most of the real power of the legislature is held by the lower house. The French Constitution contains a list of the sort of laws that Parliament can legislate, if the issue is not listed in the Constitution it is up to the President to rule on the matter by decree.

-Senate: The Senate is made up of 321 member who are elected
by special regionalized committees called Electoral Colleges.
Senators are elected to serve a 9 year term. Like the House of
Lords in Britain, the Senate has very little real power; it
has the power to veto legislation but vetoes can be easily
overridden by the National Assembly. Senate also has the
power to delay the passage of legislation.

-National Assembly: The National Assembly is made up of 577
members. Citizens of France elect members of the National
Assembly by voting in elections for political parties. Seats in
Parliament are awarded to each party according to the
percentage of the vote they gain in the election. There are 557
members of the National Assembly who serve terms that can
last up to 5 years. Elections for the National Assembly must be
held at least every 5 years, however the President can dissolve
the National Assembly and call for new elections whenever he
or she wishes.

Japan
*Japan is classified as a constitutional monarchy; the Emperor serves as the head of state. Although Japan is a constitutional monarchy, it is also classified as a democracy, because laws are made by a legislative body called the Diet.

-Japanese Constitution: The Japanese Constitution was written in 1946 following World War II. Japan, at the time the Constitution was written, was occupied by American forces; therefore Japan’s Constitution is very American in its ideology. The Constitution was written mostly by General Douglas MacArthur in conjunction with other members of the American military and a few pro-democracy citizens of Japan. The new constitution, which went into effect in 1947 accomplished a few very important things. The constitution established a democratic system of government while keeping alive the ancient monarchy. It also established that the Emperor did not have the divine right to rule and was not a god. The Emperor was effectively stripped of all governing powers by this constitution and remained in place solely as a figurehead of Japan.

-Renunciation of War: The new Japanese constitution outlawed war and established that Japan should only maintain a very small military with the sole purpose of self-defense. Today, Japan has one of the world’s smallest militaries, numbering only about 250,000 men and women. Japan relies heavily on the United States for military protection.

-The Diet: Japan’s legislative body is called the Diet. It is the same type of legislature as a parliament, and is very similar to Britain’s Parliament. The Diet is a bicameral legislature with an upper house called the House of Councilors, and a lower house called the House of Representatives.



-House of Councilors: The House of Councilors has 252 members who are chosen to serve a 6 year term. This house has far less power than the House of Representatives. The House of Councilors has the power to delay legislation being passed by the House of Representatives and it also has the power to veto bills. If a bill is vetoed by the House of Councilors, the House of Representatives can override the veto by re-voting on the bill; in order for a veto to be overridden the bill must be approved by 2/3rds of the House of Representatives.

-House of Representatives: There are 512 members of the House of Representatives who are elected from 130 districts throughout Japan. These Representatives serve a term that can last up to 4 years. The members of the House of Representatives elect a Prime Minister who also serves a term that lasts for 4 years. The main role of the House of Representatives is to make laws.

-The Prime Minister: The Japanese Prime Minister is usually the highest-ranking member of the majority party. He or she is first elected as a regular member of the House of Representatives and is then elected Prime Minister by the members of the House of Representatives. The Prime Minister appoints a cabinet of 12 ministers who carry out the day to day running of the government. The Prime Minister presides over the House of Representatives and has the power to dissolve the government and call for new elections. The House of Representatives however has the power to vote no confidence in the Prime Minister. When this happens the Prime Minister is obliged to dissolve the government and call for new elections before the 4 year term is over.

The United Mexican States
*The Mexican government is very similar to the government of the United States. Mexico is made up of 31 states and one capitol district. The government of Mexico is a Federal Republic. Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1810 and was basically governed by a series of Military leaders and dictators until the dictator Pofirio Diaz was overthrown during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. A civil war raged in Mexico between 1910-1917. In 1917 the civil war came to an end a new Constitution was written and put into place. The Constitution and government of Mexico have been in effect ever since.

-Mexican Constitution: The Mexican Constitution is very long and very tedious. The rights of the people, laws, and powers of government are very specific. The Mexican constitution is sometimes confusing and tends to, at times, contradict itself. The constitution does however set up a structure of government that includes an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. The powers of the government are divided between the Federal government and the governments of the 31 individual states.

-The Executive Branch: The President of Mexico is elected directly by the people for a term that lasts for 6 years. After the 6 year term is over the President may not run for re-election. The President of Mexico has a significant amount of power. He has the power to drive legislation through Congress and recommend the passage of bills; he has the power to appoint federal judges and supreme court justices; he has the power to appoint a cabinet of ministers, and he is the commander in chief of the military. Currently the President of Mexico is Vicente Fox.




*The Legislative Branch: Mexico has a bicameral legislature made up of a lower house and an upper house. The upper house is called the Senate and the lower house is called the Chamber of Deputies. The main function of the Congress is to make laws and to decide whether rules made by the President are legal or not.

-The Senate: There are 128 seats in the Senate; 96 are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, these members are elected to represent their respective states, each state gets 3 senators. The other 32senators are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote. Senators may not run for consecutive terms in the Senate. Just as in the US, the Senate is neither more nor less powerful than the lower house.

-The Chamber of Deputies: There are 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies; 300 members are directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms, these members are elected to represent their respective states; the remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote, also for three-year terms. Deputies may not run for consecutive terms in the Chamber of Deputies.

-State and Local Government: Just as in the US each state has the right to govern itself as long as all the laws that are on the books, or are passed adhere to the Mexican Constitution and Federal law.

The People’s Republic of China
*The People’s Republic of China was established in 1949 after the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists and the Communists was fought after World War II. Communist revolutionaries led by Mao Zedong seized power from the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek. The Communists took control over mainland China and established the People’s Republic. The Nationalists fled from the mainland to the island of Formosa and established a government that was referred to as Free China. Formosa is today called Taiwan.

-The People’s Republic of China is essentially a totalitarian oligarchy completely dominated by the Communist Party.

-The Chinese Constitution: The People’s Republic oh China actually has 2 constitutions, both written in 1982. One constitution is for the Chinese Communist Party; the other constitution is for the national government. The constitution for the Communist Party basically sets up the oligarchic structure that runs the national government. Members of the Communist Party in China receive more rights and privileges than ordinary Chinese citizens. Essentially the Communist Party sets up an system of elitism in China.

-The National Government: The national government is basically completely controlled by the Communist Party, however, the constitution of the national government is written in a way that may lead us to believe that the ordinary citizens of China have a say in their government. They do not. A system is in place for a structure of government that leads us to believe that the people participate, that system is as follows:






-Legislative Branch: The legislative branch of China’s government is a unicameral system called the National People’s Congress. There are 2,985 seats; members are elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms. The vast majority of members of the National People’s Congress are members of the Communist Party. Members of the National People’s Congress are supposed to make laws. What the National People’s Congress really does is rubber stamp laws decided on by the top officials of the Communist party. The National People’s Congress also elects the President and Vice President of China.

-Executive Branch: The president and vice president are elected by the National People's Congress to serve a five-year term. The President is almost always the leader of the Communist Party and the Vice-President is usually the second highest-ranking member of the Communist Party. The President appoints a Premier to preside over the National People's Congress, the National People's Congress must confirm the President’s appointment but that is merely a formality. The Premier is usually the third highest-ranking member of the Communist Party.
-Most decisions and laws in China are made by 20 elite members of the Communist Party called the Politburo. The 6 highest ranking members of the Politburo make up a group that is called the Politburo Standing Committee. These 6 people are at the heart of an oligarchy that governs 1.3 billion people.

Local Government

Local Government
-Local government is the level of government closest to the people. It is the government of the county and the city, town, township, borough, village, or hamlet. Currently there are over 85,000 local units of government in the United States.

-Home Rule: Ultimately the state government has final authority over any local government; however state governments usually issue to the local governments home rule charters. A home rule charter is official permission for a local community to govern itself with little interference from the state. All local laws must fall into accordance with the state constitution and all state laws.

*There are 4 basic types of local government in America today. They are as follows:

-The County: The largest territorial and political subdivision of a state. County governments supervise elections, issue certain licenses, keep records of all vital statistics, administer public welfare services, supply public utilities, and in some states administer lower state courts. In Louisiana and Mississippi counties are called parishes.

-Townships: A township is a large subdivision of a county. Townships do not exist in every state, they are however most abundant in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in parts of the Midwest. Townships are made up towns, villages, boroughs, or hamlets. Township governments usually control law enforcement, sanitation, parks, and recreation areas.

-Municipality: A municipality is an urban unit of government; a city, town, or large borough that has legal rights granted to it from the state through a charter. Most municipalities are medium sized to large cities. Municipalities often offer all the same services that counties and townships offer.

-The Special District: This is a unit of local government that deals with a specific function such as education, public transportation, and public utilities.

-School Districts: School districts are special districts that
administer education to students of specific communities.
School districts often span more than one locality.
Schools are paid for by the people who live in the district
through property taxes.

-Public Transportation: The counties of a certain region of a
state sometimes get together to create a special district to
serve as the local authority for public transportation. The
best example of this is the South East Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority (SEPTA.)

-Public Utilities: In many states services such as gas,
electric, or water are provided by special districts set up by
the county or a group of counties in the same geographic
area of the state.

Local Government Services
*Besides governing local communities local governments also exist to provide citizens essential services. Some of the most important services provided by local are as follows:

-Education: Local governments, through special districts, provide free, public education to all children in the school district.

-Zoning: Local governments use zoning to regulate the way land and buildings may be used. Zoning exists to insure safety and quality of life in communities.

-Police & Fire Protection: Local governments must insure that its citizens are protected against crime and threat of fire. Police & fire protection is essential and is very expensive. A good deal of local taxes goes to pay for these two important services.

-Water Supply: Water service is a public utility that is controlled by some level of local government in each state. Water service is the only utility that is always operated by government.

-Sewage & Sanitation: Local governments are responsible for keeping the community clean; they do this by providing sewer, street cleaning, and trash pick up services. In some communities sewage and sanitation are paid for through taxes, in other communities the local government may charge fees to provide these services.

-Social Services: To insure the well being of the community many local governments provide extensive social services. Some of these services may be the department of health, job-training programs for unemployed and poor citizens, programs for the elderly, after school programs for children, shelters for the homeless, etc.

-Transportation: Many communities form special districts to provide public transportation systems that may include bus service, train service, light rail service etc.
-Recreation and Cultural Activities: Many communities strive to provide their citizens with diverse leisure activities that appeal to most of the people in the area. These activities are often provided through parks and recreation areas, playing fields, stadiums, ice rinks, amphitheaters, orchestras, art and cultural museums, etc.

*Local governments provide many services that we as citizens take advantage of everyday. These services cost local governments a very large sum of money. Communities raise the funds necessary to operate the local government and provide these services in several ways. They are as follows:

-Property Tax: In most states the money to operate school districts is generated through real estate taxes assessed by the local government. In a few states people are required to tally the value of everything they own each year and pay a tax on that amount to their local government.

-Sales Tax: Many communities charge a tax on all goods and services sold in that community.

-Local Wage Tax: Some local governments assess a tax on all wages earned in that community, or on all wages earned by people who live in the community, or is some cases both.

-Fines: Local governments generate a great deal of revenue by issuing monetary fines for parking, traffic, sanitation, and criminal violations,

-Fees: Many local governments charge fees for business permits, and licenses.

-Bonds: Some local governments borrow money by selling bonds that can be redeemed years from when they are sold

-Grants: Local governments often receive grants from the state and federal government to operate and offer special services in the community.