Russia

Universal suffrage starts at the age of 18 in Russia.  The government is headed by the Prime Minister and the state is headed by the President.  The Prime minister is appointed by the President, who rules a 6-year term. Yet, this is still corrupt.  For example, Putin was President for 6 years, then appointed Prime Minister, and now holds office again and can run for two terms. The State’s Duma has to approve the Prime Minister before it is decided. 

The power is divided amongst three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative.  The executive is headed by the President and the Prime Minister.  The judicial branch consists of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Supreme Court of Arbitration, and the office of the Procurator.  The legislative, or lawmaking, branch is lead by the Federal Assembly.

Russia is on its way to being a liberal democracy, but Putin’s rule keeps it from truly being one.  The President has the most power, then the Prime Minister.  The State Duma recognizes United Russia, Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia as its political parties.THe debate in Russia now is over whether democracy shouldbe centralized or not. 

 

Mexico

How does one gain power? 

• The president is elected by a simple majority of registered voters in the thirty-one states and the Federal District. 

How is power divided? 

• The government is divided into an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch.
• The President heads the executive branch. There is no vice president. A Mexican president is only allowed to serve one six year term. 
• The legislative branch is a bicameral congress. Congress has the power to pass laws, impose taxes, declare war, approve the national budget, approve or reject treaties and conventions made with foreign countries, and ratify diplomatic appointments.There is an upper chamber, which addresses all matters concerning foreign policy, approves international agreements, and confirms presidential appointments and a lower chamber, which deals with the government's budget and public expenditures. Both chambers draft, discuss, and approve legislation and ratify high-level presidential appointments. Members of Congress can serve more than one term, though the terms cannot be consecutive.
• The judicial branch is divided into federal and state systems. The highest court is the Supreme Court of Justice, consisting of twenty-one magistrates and five auxiliary judges, all appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate or the Permanent Committee. 

Explain the political system: 

• Mexico has a presidential system with strong and independent legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The president is elected by majority vote for a six-year term.
• Mexico is a federation integrated by 31 States and a Federal District. Each State elects its own governor and legislature; municipal authorities are chosen at the local level.
• The Chamber of Deputies has 500 members, elected for a three-year term; 300 elected by simple majority in single-member districts, and 200 elected by proportional representation in five 40-member regional districts.
• The Senate has 128 members, elected for a six-year term. Each state elects three senators, and in addition 32 are elected by proportional representation on a single nation list.
• Re-election for consecutive terms in prohibited for all federal deputies and senators.
• Legislators can be elected to the other chamber when their term expires, and they can be re-elected to the same cture; municipal authorities are chosen at the local level.

Externalities: A consequence (positive or negative) of an economic activity that is experienced by unrelated third parties

China

How is power divided?

The most recent and current edition of the constitution of the People's Republic of China outlines a division of power among three bodies: the People's Liberation Army, the Communist Party of China, and the State Council. Each entity has their separate place in the system. The CCP deals with the political decisions of the state, the State Council acts as the primary administrative body, and the PLA serves as the military branch. Each branch is separate and has their own separate jobs. However, because the constitution names the CCP as the sole political party of the state and the party has all legal power in the government each branch is very intertwined with Party members. Essentially the constitution divides the power but reconciles it all in the CPP to create a one-party state with a strong and stable central government.



How does one gain power?

Due to the strength of the single party system in China, gaining vast amounts of power is not as hard as in other less centralized governments. To gain power in China one must first be elected to the National People's Congress. This is the basic level of national governing power in China apart from local governance. As a large body, 3,000 members, an individual has little power. However, there exists a hierarchy in the CCP that allows an individual to gain copious amounts of power. The highest tier is the Politburo Standing Committee. This is a 9 member committee and the most powerful decision making body in the Party. While this is only a Party matter, the single Party has so much power in the government that each member of this elite committee has lots of power and influence. In each branch there exists a similar hierarchy through which an individual can work their way, usually with the help of bribes, to the top.



The political system:

China's political system is technically a socialist government, but they allow an open market economy in addition to their state owned businesses and industries. They have a constitution that divides power, yet also grants all the political power to a single party, the CCP. With  a large majority of both the country and the politicians members of the CCP, they have a lot of power and the government is very strong and centralized. While issues may arise with regards to human rights violations and human needs, the government is very effective on account of its lack of slow and cumbersome discourse. The rights and opportunities of China's citizens are limited compared to democracies around the world, but they aren't as limited when compared to more oppressive and authoritative regimes.

Define externality

ex·ter·nal·i·ty

noun/ˌekstərˈnalitē/

externalities, plural

1. A side effect or consequence of an industrial or commercial activity that affects other parties without this being reflected in the cost of the goods or services involved, such as the pollination of surrounding crops by bees kept for honey
2. The fact of existing outside the perceiving subject

China

How does one gain power in this country?

Anyone over the age of 18 can vote for people to represent them in the Nation People’s Congress and then the NPC essentially controls the rest of the political system. It appoints the president, the premier, the judges, and more or less every other governmental position so the only time that the people have a nominal say in the government is when they elect their representatives. The reason this participation is more nominal and not as pronounced as the American republic is that the congress only accepts people from the same political party with the same views and interests.

How does power divide in this country?

The power in China is subdivided amongst the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The legislative branch is a unicameral congress called the National People’s Congress or the Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui. The congress has nearly 3000 seats and the representatives are elected into office by their local region and serve a term of 5 years. While the official standpoint of the Chinese government is that anyone can get elected, in reality only members of the CCP and its allied political parties are allowed in. The executive branch consists of the President and Vice president. Currently their president is President Hu Jintao and their Vice President is Xi Jinping. The president serves 5 year terms and can be elected twice. The executive branch also has a premier who is nominated by the president and confirmed by the congress and currently the premier is Wen Jiabo. The judicial branch consists of the Supreme People's Court whose judges are appointed by the National People's Congress, Local People's Courts, and the Special People's Courts. While this may appear very similar to the U.S. model of government it really isn’t as the congress controls essentially every aspect of the government and the President is merely a puppet for their purposes. The CCP controls the government completely and faces no significant political opposition.

Explain the political system:

The government is essentially a representative semi democracy in that there are supposed elections for political positions of power; however, all of the politics is controlled by one party and no opposition truly exists. The country is split into 23 different regions, which all have a small local government but are mainly ruled by the central communist government. In nearly every major decision the congress is unanimous due to their coinciding interests for example the vote for the new president was more or less unanimous with 2963 votes for Hu out of the 2987 potential votes. The country is slowly becoming more and more open and democratic but as for right now the political system is quite closed to the public and is very involved with the every day to day lives of the people in China.

Externalities are defined as a cost or benefit that is not transmitted directly through prices. 

Great Britain

How power is divided:
The united kingdom is considered a constitutional monarchy, this means that the head of the state is the monarch (King or Queen) but his/her power is limited by the constitution. This means that not only the head of state gets a say in the government of the united kingdom. The prime minister who is appointed by the queen holds alot of the power in the government. Just below the queen sits the house of lords and the house of commons. Comparing to the United States government it is similar in the sense that if a bill or law is going to passed it needs to pass through both houses before it is sent to the monarch for his or her approval. The House of Commons hold more legislative power than the House of Lords. The house of Lords responsibility is making laws and checking government actions.
How one gains power:
To gain power in the House of Commons you need to be elected in by the people.The house of commons is the lower house of the bicameral parliaments. Originally to be in the House of Lords it was heredity meaning passed down in the family, but more recently the queen herself has been appointing the Lords. There are two sections of the House of Lords one which is a birth rights and the other is where the Queen of Prime Minister can appoint people.
Political System:
Currently the Prime Minister holds most of the political power. Since there is in fact no written Constitution it falls under a weird category. The legislative branch is represented by Parliament, meaning the Houses. The executive power is held by the prime minister. Who has taken in a role similar to the president of the United States. The judicial power is represented by the Supreme Court. The House of Commons is perhaps the most important because without having an written constitution it makes it hard to control. 
   

Iran

1. How is power divided?
    There is one Supreme Leader, currently Ali Khamenei, who has ruled since 1989. The Supreme Leader has full control over the nuclear & foreign policies and the armed forces and he also has the highest religious authority. There is also a President, currently Mahmoud Amedinejad, who is elected by the people (every four years and can run twice, just like the US). The President does not have as many powers as the Supreme Leader, but the President can sign foreign treaties, administer the national budget, and appoint individuals such as governors, ministers, and ambassadors with the approval of Parliament. The Parliament drafts legislation, raitifies treaties, and approves the national budget. There is then an Assembly of Experts, which elects the Supreme Leader and can remove him from power at any time. There are also local councils.

2. How does one gain power in Iran?
    Anyone seeking power in Iran must be Islamic, for it is an Islamic republic. The Council of Guardians have designed a written exam to test the Assembly of Experts' candidates' eligibility. There is a lot of corruption in the nation's politics today, making it difficult for some to gain power and easier for others.

3. Explain the political system.
    The Iranian political system is a mix of appointed individuals and direct elections of individuals. The executive branch contains the Supreme Leader and the President. The legislative branch used to be bicameral but is now unicameral because the senate was removed after the Iranian Revolution. The Majlis, or Parliament, is made up of 290 members who are elected for four-year terms. The judicial branch consists of a head Judiciary (appointed by the Supreme Leader), who then appoints the head of the Supreme Court and the chief public prosecutor.

4. An externality occurs when the private costs or benefits to the providers or buyers of a service or good is different from the overall social costs or benefits that come from its consumption and production.

US questions.

How is power divided in the US?
The main division of power in the US is the separation of branches.  In the US there are three branches, executuve (the president), legislative (Congress) and Judicial (Supreme Court), all which check and balance the other branches.

How does one gain power in the US?
Power is gained a couple of ways in the US.  Power in the government usually comes from being a charismatic, popular, well spoken leader with a a large funding basis--many politicians rise to power starting as a Senator or Governor and through speeches, money, and popularity become President.  Power in the business world usually comes from a combination of luck, ruthlessness, background, connections, and ideas.  America has a very capitalist economy which changes how power is gained in the business world.  In a pure capitalism everyone has a fair shot at gaining power and climbing to the top of the totem pole.  While this is not completely the case in America, a good amount of opportunity exists.

US Political System:
The US has one of the more established and complex political systems in the world.  What comes to mind first is the document that is the foundation of American Government--the Constitution.  Embedded in the Constitution is a separation of powers which is also a significant trademark of the American political system.  The President (Executive branch) is a limited ruler, elected to office through political primaries usually from one of the main two political parties in the US.  The two party system and political primary system are also representative of the US political system.  Next is Congress: inside of Congress lies the Senate and the House of Representatives.  There are two Senators from every state while the representation in the House is proportional.  The Judicial branch houses the Supreme Court, the major law enforcement entity in the country.  Beneath all the upper tiers of government is a rich and deep political culture that plays a huge role in driving the US political system.  The number of participants in the US is one of the highest in the world.  Congress and the executive branch are also (unfortunately) very tied into business nowadays.  Businesses provide huge amount of funds and exercise huge amounts of influence in decisions made throughout government.

Externality: A consequence of economic activity.  Can be positive or negative.