Session 9 - A delicate balance: Executive and Legislature

For centuries, politicians, leaders and political theorists have struggled to find the perfect distribution of power between the executive and the legislature. They have often struggled with the choice between the unicameralism and bicameralism on one hand and between the presidential and the parliamentary system on the other. The perfect mix, however, has remained elusive.

Many countries in the world have adopted the Westminster model in which the elected government of the day is derived from the majority party/coalition in the parliament and thus is focused on 'getting things done.' Strong party discipline ensures that the 'forward' thinkers are taken care of and the government has the ability to make the necessary changes if it so desires.

On the other hand, the American model prides itself on the checks and balances imposed on the executive by the legislature. Since the president may not need a majority in the house to rule, often enough this leads to deadlocks in the decision making process (see American govt shut down).

Both sides of spectrum have their pros and cons but the perfect 'mix' between the two is yet to be found. Perhaps, there is no perfect mix to this problem and perhaps the perfect mix depends on priorities of those wanting to be ruled.