Regime Classification Exercise
Which regime type best upholds the rule of law and therefore protects citizens’ political and legal rights?
Note: 2 and 4 are available to choose
Elections
... Are all citizens able to vote in free and fixed elections?
1- There is not universal suffrage, elections are not free and are held at irregular intervals, or there are no elections at all.
2-
3- There is restricted suffrage, elections are mostly free and are held somewhat regularly.
4-
5- There is universal suffrage and fixed, free elections.
Note: Fixed in this context means that elections are held at regular intervals.
Separation of Powers
How clear is the separation of powers and to what extent do they place checks and balances on one another?
1- There is no separation of powers and no checks or balances on one another
2-
3- There is a somewhat clear separation of powers and the system of checks and balances operate to an extent.
4-
5- There is a clear separation of powers and each branch places checks and balances on one another.
Note: Regarding somewhat clear separation of powers – there may not be 3 clear branches, there may be less or more. As well as this two branches may be quite involved and the other one may be quite separate. This would make it acceptable to qualify as a 3.
Representative Government
How representative is the government?
1- There is no representative government. No one in the government is selected by citizens but instead appointed.
2-
3- The government is partly elected by citizens
4-
5- The government is entirely made up of people elected by the citizens.
Access to Justice
To what extent are the legal counsel and the courts accessible and free of the discrimination?
1- Few people have access to legal counsel, the courts are not accessible and there is a large amount of discrimination.
2-
3- Courts are open to a portion of the population, the courts are somewhat accessible and there is noticeable discrimination.
4-
5- Everyone has access to legal counsel; the courts are very accessible and there is some discrimination.
Note: something to think about regarding access to legal counsel is the cost. If it is very expensive it is only available to those who can afford it.
4 to 9: An authoritarian regime-
This regime does not uphold the rule of law and therefore does not protect citizens legal and political rights.
10 to 15: A hybrid regime-
This regime somewhat upholds the rule of law and therefore protects citizens legal and political rights to an extent.
16 to 20: A democracy-
This regime upholds the rule of law and protects the legal and political rights of citizens.
Depending on where the country lies on the scale determines how well the rule of law is upheld and citizens’ political, legal rights are protected. Obviously there is some variation within each regime type.
Applicable to all countries in 2000-2012
Sources
http://
http://www.freedomhouse.org/
Which regime type best upholds the rule of law and therefore protects citizens’ political and legal rights?
Note: 2 and 4 are available to choose
Elections
... Are all citizens able to vote in free and fixed elections?
1- There is not universal suffrage, elections are not free and are held at irregular intervals, or there are no elections at all.
2-
3- There is restricted suffrage, elections are mostly free and are held somewhat regularly.
4-
5- There is universal suffrage and fixed, free elections.
Note: Fixed in this context means that elections are held at regular intervals.
Separation of Powers
How clear is the separation of powers and to what extent do they place checks and balances on one another?
1- There is no separation of powers and no checks or balances on one another
2-
3- There is a somewhat clear separation of powers and the system of checks and balances operate to an extent.
4-
5- There is a clear separation of powers and each branch places checks and balances on one another.
Note: Regarding somewhat clear separation of powers – there may not be 3 clear branches, there may be less or more. As well as this two branches may be quite involved and the other one may be quite separate. This would make it acceptable to qualify as a 3.
Representative Government
How representative is the government?
1- There is no representative government. No one in the government is selected by citizens but instead appointed.
2-
3- The government is partly elected by citizens
4-
5- The government is entirely made up of people elected by the citizens.
Access to Justice
To what extent are the legal counsel and the courts accessible and free of the discrimination?
1- Few people have access to legal counsel, the courts are not accessible and there is a large amount of discrimination.
2-
3- Courts are open to a portion of the population, the courts are somewhat accessible and there is noticeable discrimination.
4-
5- Everyone has access to legal counsel; the courts are very accessible and there is some discrimination.
Note: something to think about regarding access to legal counsel is the cost. If it is very expensive it is only available to those who can afford it.
4 to 9: An authoritarian regime-
This regime does not uphold the rule of law and therefore does not protect citizens legal and political rights.
10 to 15: A hybrid regime-
This regime somewhat upholds the rule of law and therefore protects citizens legal and political rights to an extent.
16 to 20: A democracy-
This regime upholds the rule of law and protects the legal and political rights of citizens.
Depending on where the country lies on the scale determines how well the rule of law is upheld and citizens’ political, legal rights are protected. Obviously there is some variation within each regime type.
Applicable to all countries in 2000-2012
Sources
http://
http://www.freedomhouse.org/
Hannah Blewden, Amy Harrison, Devon Atkins, Zach Devine, Sam Papalii
I find the Representative Government section slightly difficult, if only in detail. The questioning is all about the people being elected, not the party being elected and thus the politicians. In many regimes that would be classed a democratic the politicians aren't directly voted in themselves, but get into parliament from votes for the party they represent. As an example New Zealand has electorate MPs and list MPs, we don't get a direct say in which list MPs get into parliament, it's up to the party to order which MPs get in before others.
ReplyDeleteI think that instead of labeling the final result you should just retain the scores and figure out how the protection of civil liberties relates to the other aspects of the regime. I'm not sure you are fully separating out the "regime" aspect from the "protection" aspect in the classification, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteAlso, maybe some examples of how countries would fall into these categories would help people figure out how to apply the system.
I like access to justice section as it is not considered in the majority of systems put up also like the question. However is it a law student that made this? As it was quite confusing to understand what you meant by separation of powers and rule of law. Would it be helpful to add in definitions of what you mean by that? Also would it be useful to include sections to do with human rights and media to provide a larger overview of a state?
ReplyDelete