Edexcel Politics 10. Comparative Approaches

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The bodies responsible for overseeing party donations in the US and UK respectively

That which is regulated in the US in that FECA introduced maximum donations with loopholes closed by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act many regulations of which were overturned by Citizens United v FEC, allowing for the formation of Super PACs which can make unregulated party donations

That Supreme Court case the aftermath of which saw accusations of partisanship and a lack of judicial neutrality and independence as a result of the presence of conflicts of interest, the fact that both majority and dissenting justices ruled inconsistently with their past voting records, while also drawing up their opinions before oral arguments even began

That which in the UK the modern form of which was given rise to by the three structural changes of the Troubles, Devolution, and EU Membership (UKIP, Brexit Party)

That the strengths of which are that it is the supreme house, the executive is drawn from and accountable to it, it has influential select committees, and can question and debate ministers directly

The oldest UK constituency, being formed in 1265

That approach to comparative politics which when used to compare executives mostly concerns personal popularity and attributes of the premier and senior executive officials

Those the aims and functions of which are to accentuate and extol certain policies, aspects of ideology, or party 'greats' (Thatcherites), to widen voter appeal and diversity by reflecting demographic, religious, or ideological groups within the party, to challenge the party establishment, and to support and encourage those of a similar mindset

That UK party the origins and ideology of which are differentiated from what is most often considered its US counterpart in that it formed out of the trade union movement and has been socialist for most of its existence

Those that have become constitutionalised in the US though not necessarily codified by amendments, examples being two-term limits for the President (codified in the 22nd Amendment), judicial review by the Supreme Court, the Executive Office of the President, congressional committees, etc.

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Those two types of legislation that the US' 'American Civil Liberties Union' and UK's 'Liberty' have focused much of their effort against, alphabetically

That the weaknesses of which are that it lacks a democratic mandate, its powers are mostly only ones of delay, it has a poor public image, the government often lacks a majority, and it contains Anglican Bishops

That which is differentiated between the US and UK in that the former is codified and entrenched while the latter is uncodified and not entrenched

Those parties that are more successful in winning votes in the UK as it is multinational, both major parties supported EU membership leaving UKIP the only rational alternative, voters are reluctant to support minor presidential candidates in the US, US parties are more responsive to voters and thus more subject to changes in leadership making protest voting unnecessary, and US elections are much more expensive and complex for small parties to manage

That the strengths of which are that it initiates all money bills, draws up articles of impeachment, has powerful standing committees, and has strong constituency links due to the two-year election cycle

That approach to comparative politics which in a wider sense focuses on legislatures, executives, judiciaries, constitutions, class structures, electoral systems, political parties, pressure groups, the media, etc.

That which in the UK is most often directed at the executive branch due to the fusion of powers and its pre-eminence unlike in the US where it is aimed equally at congressional committees, executive departments, and the Supreme Court

The different types of democracy and emphasised by the US and UK respectively, the former in the form of initiatives, primaries, and very regular elections, and the latter in the form of an appointed upper house, unelected head of government and no popular candidate selection

That which is more prevalent in Congress than in Parliament in that Congress must approve judicial and executive appointments, must ratify treaties, can impeach and try federal officials, and at least formally has the power to declare war

Those, five of which are used in the UK, namely; first past the post (general elections), additional member system (Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, Greater London Assembly), single transferable vote (Northern Ireland Assembly), alternative vote (Scottish local by-elections), and the supplementary vote (Mayor of London)