Governments Systems and How They Differ from One Another

Governments around the world work differently from each other by having different methods of legislating, electing, and leading a country. The two main forms of democratic government systems are Parliamentary, which are more prominent in European countries, while a Presidential government can be seen through using the United States as an example. Understanding the differences in how these two governments work provides a deeper knowledge of the complexities of legislating through a comparative context.

Defining Democracy

The word “democracy’ originates in the Greek language and is associated with the first example of a type of institutional government that was established in Athens around 500 BC. However, the United States is among the oldest forms of modern democracy. According to Britannica, a democracy is a “form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections” (Britannica). There are four different types of democracies: direct, representative, constitutional, and monitory. In a direct democracy like the one seen in ancient Athens, citizens are involved in the discussion, exercise of power, and decision by a majority rule. Representative democracy differentiates by allowing citizens to elect representatives that will carry out governmental business. A constitutional democracy provides an outline that entails the rules and regulations on who and how people will represent a country. Lastly, monitory democracy – suggested by political scientist, John Keane – is a new form of democracy that focuses on the constant monitoring of government through public and private agencies.

According to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, there are four main principles that liberal democracies are based on. These principles are the belief in the individual, a belief in reason and progress, a belief in society that is consensual, and a belief in shared power. The democratic framework is also vital to understand what a democracy is and how it is organized to “define and limit power so as to promote legitimate government” (MOADOPH). Legitimacy, justice, freedom, and power are four elements that are included in the framework, and knowing how these elements work together gives greater insight into what a democracy promotes through legislation and leadership.

The birth of political philosophy has inspired many of the modern democracies we see today as those theories are implemented in the government. Montesquieu’s theory of separation of power to limit the rule of one man is an example of how political philosophy has shaped these modern governments. The founders of the United States government applied the idea of separation of power by dividing the federal government into three branches known as the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches. Philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato analyzed the idea of democracy in order to set standards and principles to better define the purpose of public power in a society.

Difference Between a Presidential and Parliamentary Government

Michael Laver wrote an academic article called “Legislature and Parliaments in Comparative Context” to dive into the differences that are often unknown by the general public: “Legislatures legislate; they pass laws. The notion of a ‘legislature’ is thus located firmly in the classical view of separation of powers between the legislature, executive, and judiciary. A ‘parliament’, on the other hand, does legislate but in the constitutional structure of parliamentary government, the executive is constitutionally responsible to the legislature” (Laver). Parliaments exist to support and provide the government which does not make their primary function legislating. In simpler terms, a Parliament fuses the executive and legislature functions which is called a fused power system.

Compared to the United States, the fusion of these two powers allows a parliamentary government to make laws because there is no president to veto the bill. In a way, passing laws is more effective since there are no checks and balances in the government. The United States government focuses on the idea of separation of power but also being able to check and balance the power of different branches in order to prevent the effects of factions within a branch. Since citizens of a parliamentary government only elect the parliament, they do not get to elect the executive, which is also known as the cabinet, nor the prime minister. Parliamentary governments use different systems of elections but overall, the leader of the majority party is almost always given the position of the prime minister. Unlike a parliamentary system, a presidential system allows citizens to elect their president, and looking closer to the United States, they also get to elect the representatives of the Legislative branch which focuses on lawmaking.

There are three types of governments in a parliament: Single Party Majority, Majority Coalition, and Minority governments. In a single-party majority government, the formation of coalitions is highly unheard of because the majority party has the votes to sustain themselves and their power. Majority coalition governments, however, happen when multiple political parties come together to form the government and it is common when the electoral system provides the opportunity for there to be multiple parties. Lastly, a minority government must rely on other parties to pass policy because there is no majority. This type of government is rare and requires compromise.

Differentiating between political systems is complicated as each country has its own sets of rules, electoral systems, and legislatures. However, understanding the basics and having that knowledge allows for a deeper connection to the political world through an international lens.

Where to Find More Information About Governmental Systems

If you want to learn more about other governmental systems and their unique qualities, these are some articles that provide a clearer picture of what goes into a democracy and the type of government in each country.

• http://mattgolder.com/files/teaching/chapter12_white.pdf

• https://www.historicalindex.org/what-is-the-difference-between-a-parliamentary-and-presidential-system-of-government.htm

• https://borgenproject.org/parliamentary-system-versus-presidential-system/

Works Cited

Dahl, Robert A.."democracy". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2022,

https://www.britannica.com/topic/democracy. Accessed 17 August 2022.

“Defining Democracy.” Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, 10 Feb. 2022, https://www.moadoph.gov.au/democracy/defining-democracy/#.

“History of Democracy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Aug. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_democracy.

Laver, Michael. “Legislatures and Parliaments in Comparative Context.” Oxford Handbooks Online, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199548477.003.0007.

Arneson, Richard J. and Bowle, John Edward. "political philosophy". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-philosophy. Accessed 17 August 2022.