The United States government has its faults. From minimizing corruption to increasing public participation in our political system, the United States can improve their democratic government in many ways. What are the lessons the United States can take away from evaluating the successes and failures of international governments? What case studies have the most democratic ideals that could possibly contribute in a positive manner to the United States political system? What is the United States’ ideal political system? We will evaluate the effectiveness and possible democratic contributions that each case study could have on positively effecting the United States government. My ideal government will be displayed through the practices of international governments.
In the first case study, we evaluated the United Kingdom’s unitary system of government. One of the most appealing aspects of the UK system is the role of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister acts as an administrative link between the head of state, the crown in this case, and the head of government, the prime minister. This allows for a strong link between the parliament and the head of state. In the United States, we lack this strong relationship between our legislative body and the president. I believe this is an important contribution that the UK political system could have on our own political system. Plagued with constant gridlock, Congress struggles with passing much legislation. A person that acts as a unifying official between Congress and the President, who would be of the opposite party as the president, would allow for bipartisan collaboration. In addition, the parliament in the UK system has a unique group of people that are integrated into the legislative process called backbenchers. Backbenchers are nongovernmental officials that criticize or support legislation during open debate. This allows for the increase democratic process by incorporating the ideas of the “common man” into the legislative process. Any United States citizen could be a backbencher. This could also encourage minority representation and allow for politicians to hear the opinions of the public. Incorporating UK principles into our own United States system could greatly enhance our democratic government.
The second case study analyzed the Mexican government. The Mexican government has a system that includes a sexenio, which is a six-year single term of the office of the president. The sexenio is a unique, and I believe, could be incredibly beneficial to the United States government. In the United States, the president is concerned, just like all other politicians, about getting reelected. For instance, according to CNN, after just 30 days after getting elected, President Trump held a campaign rally in Melbourne, Florida. Already, President Trump is concerned about getting reelected. Even though President Trump had major concerns at the time including creating a healthcare plan and hire a new security adviser, he still “found time” to campaign. This is a clear sign that we need a sexenio-like system. A sexenio-like system would allow the president to continuously work on issues that impact the American people and continue to do their job without the political pressures of getting reelected. A similar sexenio system in the United Staes is the major contribution from the Mexican government case study.
The third case study analyzed the Nigerian government. The Nigerian government is a prime example of learning from other country’s failures. For instance, the Nigerian government has seen over eight different constitutions in the past decade. This is a testament to Nigerian leaders disrespect for their own constitutions and the continuously changing of the law. This creates confusion among the people and, worse of all, a lack of Nigerian government’s legitimacy. Therefore, I believe that we need more restrictions on amendments made to our most sacred documents. I believe that if Congress wishes to make an amendment to the Constitution, Congress must seek approval from the Supreme Court. Major and constant changes to our constitution would harm our legitimacy and weaken the faith the public has in our American political system.
The United State Congress, Washington DC
The major changes of an official monitoring the executive and legislative bodies, the addition of a sexenio and backbenchers, and the inclusion of the Supreme Court in amending the constitution would greatly impact our government. The various analysis of a wide range of political systems can give our political system strength. The United States government has a lot to work on, but by exploring the successes and failures of other countries, we can have a deeper understanding of how to improve our own political system.
I think that this was a very interesting analysis. Obviously, in an ideal world, we would take the best qualities of each form of government to make the most efficient system possible. This is certainly not an ideal world, and our government is the result of two hundred years of slow building on a system put in place in the late 1700s. I really enjoyed this look and comparison between our system and other nations’.
I agree with you that the United States can definitely improve its governement system by utilizing the aspects found in other governments. I think the most important one you mentioned was the power of the supreme court to amend the constitution. The constitution in the United States is held up as this untouchable document, but without changing some of the archaic parts of it we fail in really making substantial change on some issues.
Over the past semester I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs and leanrning about different govermental systems. Each case study throughly explored the differences in goveremtns and the pros and cons that go with each. I like the idea of a prime minister and the six-one year term; however I believe the way the constituion is amended is fine the way it is.
I enjoyed reading all your Civic Issue blog. You did a great analysis of foregin governments and suggested the ways how U.S. government can improve learning from foregin governments. Two of the governments you talked aboput were not developed countries like U.S but you showed how we could understand and mimic the ways of less developed countries for our own benefit. Great Work!
This was a great close to looking at foreign govenment systems. I liked how you gave very insightful analyses for all of the govenrnments you covered. I especially enjoyed this clear and concise synopsis.