Political scienceLesson 1 of 1 in the course Legislatures

Executive Dominance, Legislative Deference, and Legislative Polarization

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson examines how executive dominance can reduce a legislature’s influence and weaken its ability to make policy and check the executive. It matters because the gradual transfer of authority can reshape the balance of power within a political system.

Executive dominance occurs when executive leaders expand their powers and present those expanded powers as legitimate or acceptable. This can happen in systems where the executive is separate from the legislature, but the broader concern is the same: the executive gains authority that may once have belonged to, or been constrained by, the legislature.

All flashcards

What is incremental executive expansion?
A series of small actions whose cumulative effect substantially increases executive power.
How can executive power expand rapidly?
An executive can expand authority dramatically, sometimes during a crisis.
What is legislative deference?
A legislature yields power or responsibility to another branch, through inaction or approval.
What is legislative rubber-stamping?
Approving another branch’s proposals with little or no independent scrutiny.
What is party polarization?
Increasing distance between political parties, including more partisan or ideologically extreme positions.

Quiz questions

  1. What characterizes executive dominance?Answer: Executive power expands in ways presented as legitimate or acceptable.
  2. Which pattern best indicates legislative deference rather than support for one proposal?Answer: Repeated inaction or routine approval that reduces legislative independence.
  3. How can party polarization contribute to gridlock in a legislature with a slim majority?Answer: Opposition members may refuse to support the majority party’s proposals.
  4. What risk can polarization create when one party holds a large legislative majority?Answer: The majority may pass extreme policies that are sharply reversed after control changes.
  5. What does party polarization describe?Answer: Growing ideological or partisan distance between political parties.

Based on Introduction to Political Science by Mark Carl Rom, Masaki Hidaka, Rachel Bzostek Walker (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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