Contents -- I. INTRODUCTION -- II. RENEWED FOCUS ON THE BUDGETARY POWERS OF THE LEGISLATURE -- III. SEPARATION OF POLITICAL POWERS UNDER DIFFERENT FORMS OF GOVERNMENT -- IV. AUTHORITY OF THE LEGISLATURE TO SHAPE THE BUDGET -- V. SEPARATENESS OF THE LEGISLATURE AND ITS BUDGET AUTHORITY -- VI. CONCLUSIONS -- Indices on the Separation of Powers and the Control by the Legislature -- REFERENCES
Summary
Country-specific factors prevent a strong linear relationship between the legislature's budgetary powers and the extent of its separation from the executive. Electoral and voting systems, bicameralism, constitutional and legal constraints, voluntary contracts of political parties, and long-standing traditions all influence the relative budgetary powers of executives and legislatures. Differences in the legislature's budgetary authority in twenty-eight countries with five different forms of government are examined. It is concluded that differences in budgetary powers within a particular form of government are as great as those between different forms of government
