08 June 2008
Similarities, Differences Between the U.S. and Other Major Democracies
(The following article is taken from the U.S. Department of State publication, How the United States is Governed.)
Similarities and Differences Between the U.S. System of Government and Other Forms of Democratic Government
As a constitutional federal republic, the United States is not unique. Many "democracies" are in fact constitutional republics, and share with the United States long traditions of democratic representation, the rule of law, and constitutional protections.
One significant difference between the United States and some other major democracies is the selection and role of the head of government. In parliamentary systems, the head of government is a prime minister selected from the parliament, and is typically the leader of the majority political party or coalition. The prime minister appoints a cabinet of ministers often consisting of other members of parliament. A separate head of state may be a monarch or an elected President (or comparable official).
In the United States, the President is both head of government and head of state. The President is elected separately from the legislature and may or may not be of the legislature's majority political party. The President's cabinet consists of individuals who are Constitutionally prohibited from being members of Congress at the same time.
The United States is primarily a two-party system, in stark contrast to many parliamentary systems where there may be ten or more parties represented in the legislature. This results in clearly defined political lines in the United States, without the formal need for coalition-building often required to create a ruling majority in a parliamentary system. One factor contributing to the two-party system in the United States is the single-member district system of electing Representatives. In some parliamentary systems, proportional representation is used, which allows many parties to be represented in parliament.
One other significant difference is that elected officials in the United States serve for a defined period of time before facing reelection. In many parliamentary systems, elections may be called suddenly by the ruling party or if there is a vote of no confidence in the government. In some parliamentary systems, parliament may be dissolved by the head of state and new elections ordered.
Differences in the judicial system are not as significant as in the legislative, because the United States legal system is based predominantly on English common law. Defendants in criminal cases have the right to a public trial by jury and the right to be represented by counsel. One major difference in the judiciary, however, is the power of the U.S. Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional, thereby nullifying them. Few other countries vest such authority in their judiciaries.
Finally, the revenues and expenditures of the U.S. government are much smaller than most of its counterparts in other industrialized nations when measured as a percentage of gross domestic product. Much of the difference is due to the social services and benefits (such as health care and old-age pensions) that governments in some other nations pay for. In the United States, many of these services are delivered by the private sector or are not funded to the same extent by the government, and thus are not counted in government expenditures.
