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This example also suggests that even the most enduring of bicameral systems are subject to change, as for example the Belgian system in 1995 when moving towards federalism, just as new unicameral systems, such as Indonesia today, can begin transformation towards a bicameral system.
This paper presents the pros and cons of a unicameral legislature. The first section begins with a comparison of the arguments made by proponents and opponents of such a system. The second section presents a brief history of unicameral bodies in the United States.
- Overview
- Unicameral and bicameral legislatures
- Judicial review
A central feature of any constitution is the organization of the legislature. It may be a unicameral body with one chamber or a bicameral body with two chambers. Unicameral legislatures are typical in small countries with unitary systems of government (e.g., Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Israel, and New Zealand) or in very small countries (e.g., Andorra, Dominica, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Malta, and Tuvalu). Federal states, whether large or small, usually have bicameral legislatures, one house usually representing the main territorial subdivisions. The classic example is the Congress of the United States, which consists of a House of Representatives, with 435 members elected for two-year terms from single-member districts of approximately equal population, and a Senate, consisting of 2 persons from each state elected by the voters of that state. The fact that all states are represented equally in the Senate regardless of their size reflects the federal character of the American union. The U.S. Senate enjoys special powers not shared by the House of Representatives: it must ratify by a two-thirds majority vote the international treaties concluded by the president and must confirm the president’s appointments to the cabinet and to other important executive offices. The federal character of the Swiss constitution is likewise reflected in the makeup of the country’s national legislature, which is bicameral. One house, the National Council, consists of 200 members apportioned among the cantons according to population; the other house, the Council of States, consists of 46 members elected from the cantons by direct vote.
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Russia possess federal systems that mirror the U.S. model of equal representation for each subnational government in the upper chamber (since the mid-1990s one-fourth of Mexican senators have been elected in a single national district on the basis of the proportion of votes their political parties receive). In some federal systems representation of regions in the upper house is not equal. In Germany, for example, states are allocated three to six seats in the upper house (the Bundesrat), depending on population. In federal Austria each state is guaranteed at least three seats in the Bundesrat. In federations in which there is no guaranteed overrepresentation of smaller regions, a crucial principle of federalism is violated: the protection of regional sovereignty against a central government, backed by a national majority, that may seek to erode regional autonomy. An example of this case is Canada, where the upper house (the Senate) is an appointed body that is not constitutionally required to represent the provinces, though in practice senators are appointed (for life terms) to ensure regional balance. Although Micronesia and Venezuela are both federal states, each has a unicameral legislature.
A central feature of any constitution is the organization of the legislature. It may be a unicameral body with one chamber or a bicameral body with two chambers. Unicameral legislatures are typical in small countries with unitary systems of government (e.g., Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Israel, and New Zealand) or in very small countries (e.g., Andorra, Dominica, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Malta, and Tuvalu). Federal states, whether large or small, usually have bicameral legislatures, one house usually representing the main territorial subdivisions. The classic example is the Congress of the United States, which consists of a House of Representatives, with 435 members elected for two-year terms from single-member districts of approximately equal population, and a Senate, consisting of 2 persons from each state elected by the voters of that state. The fact that all states are represented equally in the Senate regardless of their size reflects the federal character of the American union. The U.S. Senate enjoys special powers not shared by the House of Representatives: it must ratify by a two-thirds majority vote the international treaties concluded by the president and must confirm the president’s appointments to the cabinet and to other important executive offices. The federal character of the Swiss constitution is likewise reflected in the makeup of the country’s national legislature, which is bicameral. One house, the National Council, consists of 200 members apportioned among the cantons according to population; the other house, the Council of States, consists of 46 members elected from the cantons by direct vote.
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Russia possess federal systems that mirror the U.S. model of equal representation for each subnational government in the upper chamber (since the mid-1990s one-fourth of Mexican senators have been elected in a single national district on the basis of the proportion of votes their political parties receive). In some federal systems representation of regions in the upper house is not equal. In Germany, for example, states are allocated three to six seats in the upper house (the Bundesrat), depending on population. In federal Austria each state is guaranteed at least three seats in the Bundesrat. In federations in which there is no guaranteed overrepresentation of smaller regions, a crucial principle of federalism is violated: the protection of regional sovereignty against a central government, backed by a national majority, that may seek to erode regional autonomy. An example of this case is Canada, where the upper house (the Senate) is an appointed body that is not constitutionally required to represent the provinces, though in practice senators are appointed (for life terms) to ensure regional balance. Although Micronesia and Venezuela are both federal states, each has a unicameral legislature.
The first examples of written constitutions came from the United States. The United States also gave the world an institution that has become a fundamental feature of many contemporary constitutional systems: judicial review. Rigid written constitutions allow for the existence of special state agencies that ensure the conformity of ordinary legisla...
This article reviews and analyzes many arguments that are made on behalf of bicameralism. The tools used to make these arguments are the spatial model, the multilateral bargaining theory, and a game of incomplete information.
Unicameralism is a system of government in which the legislature consists of only one house or chamber. It contrasts with bicameral systems, where there are two separate chambers or houses.
Understanding the Unicameral Legislature. A unicameral legislature is a legislative body with a single chamber, as opposed to a bicameral legislature, which has two chambers typically referred to as the lower house and the upper house.
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Currently, parliaments in Europe are either unicameral or bicameral: while unicameralism is the most common option, bicameralism is generally adopted in more populous countries and/or States...
