POLSCI101 Introduction to Political Science of United Kingdom

Answers:

Question 1

The electoral calendar of United Kingdom comprises several parts of legislation. The difference between the fixed and the flexible terms of the election calendar is yet to be distinguished effectively. In both the election system, the Government may declare an election at any time either on a decision of the Government by dissolving the opposition or the Parliament by way of passing a successful no-confidence vote.

In the year 2010, the Government took an initiative to establish a five-year fixed term parliament. The government stated that provisions should be made relating to dissolution, if more than 55% of the House elects to vote in favor of the dissolution. However, the coalition proposal made by the government was highly criticized. The proposal was revised and the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011 was introduced (Blick, 2015). The legislation stipulated two essential provisions regarding early election and majority no-confidence vote. Several constitutional experts opined it would have been better if the parliamentary term was set at four years. That way it would have been in harmony with the prevailing UK.

Moreover, the new fixed term electoral system had both advantages and disadvantages. The fixed term election calendar was advantageous on several grounds.

The governing party shall no more be able to declare election as per their convenience. The Government shall be able to prepare and implement all the legislative programs effectively. It would enable the Electoral Commission to be prepared in advance, as he is already aware of the date of the election (Heywood, 2015).

However, the fixed parliamentary term has also been subject to numerous criticisms. The fixed term may prevent an election from being held at a time, which is appropriate, otherwise. It may lead to ineffective government, which does not have the confidence of the house of commons and  cannot be dissolved either (Colomer, 2016).  

The United States of America follow a parliamentary system, which denotes a fix-term election calendar. The presidential system or fixed term specifies the maximum duration of the term. It is advantageous as it justifies the authority of the President. It brings stability as compared to the government of the Prime minister can be dissolved at any time. On the contrary, a presidential system tends to be authoritative. As the President has been vested with all the power, the presidential system may turn into authoritarian regimes under certain circumstances. Therefore, presidential system may demoralize the people as they might feel that they are not playing significant role in the law making of the country.

Question 2

A developing country is also known as a less developed country or an underdeveloped country. A developing country refers to a country or a sovereign state wherein the economic development of the country was initiated but is unable to proceed further with the development.  Poverty and unemployment issues essentially characterize a developing country (Hanushek, (2013). 

Further, the standard of living in a developing country is usually very low because of low income. The people below the poverty lines are unable to fulfill the necessities of life. The increase in the population growth accelerates the rate of unemployment in such countries. Majority of the population are primarily dependent on agriculture of the country. Due to low per capita income, the economy of the countries is generally poor.

Although there are several nations that are still considered as a developing or less developed country. One of such countries is Algeria. Algeria is a sovereign state, which is situated in North Africa. Algeria has the highest natural oil and gas reserves in the world. However, the country is considered as a developing country owing to its high unemployment rates and poor infrastructures.  The country lacks proper education system and the sight of children selling food or other products is not surprising. The high rates of unemployment are due to the unavailability of skilled labors. Most of the skilled and qualified Algerians fail to get jobs (Carrere et al., 2014). 

Although the nation receives sufficient foreign currency, the country is unable to use the capital fast for the development of the country due to the unavailability of skilled labors. Due to high unemployment rates, people are unable to afford the necessities of life, which also includes education for their children (Schleiter & Tavits, 2016). 

Therefore, the nation should improve the economical issues. It should aim at optimizing the available natural resources and other useful resources and overcome all the hindrances that are preventing the country to flourish and strive to ensure a better standard of living for its people.

Reference list

Blick, A. (2015). Constitutional Implications of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011. Parliamentary Affairs, gsv004.

Carrere, C., Fugazza, M., Olarreaga, M., & Robert-Nicoud, F. (2014). Trade in unemployment.

Colomer, J. (Ed.). (2016). The handbook of electoral system choice. Springer.

Hanushek, E. A. (2013). Economic growth in developing countries: The role of human capital. Economics of Education Review, 37, 204-212.

Heywood, A. (2015). Essentials of UK politics. Palgrave Macmillan.

Schleiter, P., & Tavits, M. (2016). The Electoral Benefits of Opportunistic Election Timing. The Journal of Politics, 78(3), 836-850.