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MicrosoftWhat Are Some of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Our National Government?
The legislative branches are said to be responsible for making laws, the executive for carrying them out, and the judiciary for managing disputes about their interpretation and application. These distinctions are not, in fact, so clear. It is better to describe our system as one in which these institutions are separated, but they actually share all of these powers to some extent. Furthermore, since the founding period, power has shifted among these institutions and there is a continuous tension among them regarding the scope and limit of their powers. Our system is compared with parliamentary systems that have different institutional and procedural arrangements. Current problems in our system are examined, including claims regarding a breakdown in essential norms and the current extent of polarization in Congress.Introduction
Section 1: National Governmental Institutions: Separation and Sharing of Powers
Discussion and research questions
Section 2: Sharing of Powers Between Congress and the Executive Branch and Related Issues
Discussion and research questions
Section 3: Problems in the Functioning of Congress and the Executive Branch
Discussion and research questions
Section 4: Violations of Regular Order, Democratic Procedures, and Democratic Norms
Discussion and research questions
Section 5: The Importance of Democratic Norms
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Section 6: The Oversight Responsibility of Congress
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Section 7: Shift in Balance of Power from Congress to the President
Discussion and research questions
Section 8: Representation, the Will of the People, Majority Rule, and Minority Rights
Discussion and research questions
Section 9: Shift of Powers from Congress to the Supreme Court
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Section 10: Examining Remedies
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Section 11: Balancing Congressional and Executive Resources
Discussion and research questions
Section 12: Campaign Finance
Discussion and research questions
Section 13: Congressional Constraints on Executive Power
Discussion and research questions
Section 14: Congress, Judicial Powers, and the Powers of Large and Small States in Congress
Discussion and research questions
