Checks and Imbalances: Executive Design and Political Stability

This article examines the benefits and shortcomings of different ways of organizing executive-legislative relations. It is often debated whether political stability is more likely under a presidential system, a parliamentary system or some mix of the two. This article examines the different choices, assesses the evidence as to whether certain choices are more conducive to political stability than others and describes the other factors that need to be taken into account. In general, parliamentarism is considered to be a less risky choice for new democracies than either presidentialism or semi-presidentialism. However, the author suggests that the evidence to support this proposition is inconclusive.