2.3 Comparing Legislative Institutions

Structure: Unicameral vs Bicameral

Legislatures may have one chamber (unicameral, e.g., Iran, China) or two (bicameral, e.g., UK, Russia, Mexico). Bicameral systems often have a lower house elected by population and an upper house representing regions or elites. Federal states (Russia, Mexico, Nigeria) tend to favor bicameralism to represent territorial units; unitary states more often use unicameral bodies.

Functions of Legislatures

Legislatures perform lawmaking, representation, oversight of the executive, and legitimation of government actions. In parliamentary systems (UK), the legislature selects and can remove the executive via a vote of no confidence, fusing power. In systems with a dominant executive (Iran, Russia, China), the legislature's oversight role is weaker and often rubber-stamps executive decisions.

Legislative Power & Fragmentation

Legislative strength depends on checks on the executive, electoral rules, and party system. Fragmented legislatures (many parties, common under proportional representation) can create coalition instability, as in the UK or Mexico at times. Dominant-party legislatures (China's National People's Congress, Russia's Duma) exercise little independent power, mainly legitimizing decisions already made by the executive.

Key terms

Unicameral legislature

A legislature with a single chamber (e.g., Iran, China).

Bicameral legislature

A legislature with two chambers, often one for population and one for regions/elites (e.g., UK, Russia, Mexico).

Vote of no confidence

A parliamentary mechanism allowing the legislature to remove the executive (PM/cabinet) from power.

Legislative oversight

The function of monitoring and checking the actions of the executive branch.

Rubber-stamp legislature

A legislature that formally approves executive decisions with little independent power, common in authoritarian systems.

Try an AP-style question

The UK House of Lords can…

1. veto any bill permanently
2. delay but not block most bills
3. choose the prime minister
4. dissolve the Commons