POL113H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Constitution Act 1986, 1852 Constitution Of The Kingdom Of Hawaii, Constitution Act, 1982
15 Oct 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The elected government develops policies according to specified procedures and agreed-upon rules. These rules ensure that all new laws are passed pursuant to due process. New laws cannot be imposed on the population without warning, advance notice, or in secret. This promotes the accountability of the executive. (see textbook, pp. There is a distinction between vertical and horizontal accountability (textbook: 257): Vertical accountability means the government is accountable to the people, the ultimate source of authority. The government is accountable to the ultimate source of authority, the people. But vertical accountability is also exercised on a more daily basis, through the media and interest groups, which demand the government be accountable to its citizens. In a liberal democracy, governments must justify and explain what they are doing in public forums, every day of the week. Government is accountable to the people, who are the ultimate authority. The media helps to keep the government accountable.
