Essay on "Local Government Around the World"

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Essay 8 pages (2654 words) Sources: 6

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The judicial branch of the New York City is a bit more complicated as compared to most other judicial branches function in the United States of America. The head of the judicial system, like in all other regions of the country, is the state Supreme Court where all the Supreme Court judges are elected. Under the supreme court, there are separate civil courts, criminal courts and family courts, with each one of the three existing in each of the city's boroughs. The civil court handles the claim cases, the criminal courts handle cases they are of criminal nature such as felonies, and the family courts handles cases pertaining to family and children (Mauro & Benjamin, 1989).

The New York City government despite of being more complex is much more comprehensive and centralized as far as governance structures are concerned. The roles and responsibilities of all branches and public offices are clearly stated and allocated and a balance of power is maintained between elected offices and appointed offices. The general public do get to exercise their democratic rights by electing their borough presidents and the mayor. The comprehensive political and administrative divisional system and a local body office bearer in each of the administrative division means that there is linkage between the general public and the government on ground level which would help the government to understand the problems and issues of the public in a better way and to address them much more promptly.

Comparison and Contrasts

All three regions of the United States of America discussed in this paper, California, Louisiana and the New York City adhere to the three tier branch structure

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as in place on a federal level. Moreover all these three states work under the umbrella of the federation but enjoy their own administrative and governing autonomy to the extent that each state has their own individual constitution.

While the legislative structure of both California and the New York City function on the lines of the Common English Law, the legislative structure of the Louisiana state is closer to the Napoleon Code given its strong historical association with its French origins. For this reason, to this day Louisiana operates under the French democracy system. The government style in California on the other hand adheres to the Direct Democracy setup and is much more decentralized with the general public enjyi9ng the maximum rights. The government system in New York City is much different from other states and is more centralized and works purely on the basis of local government. Each of the three system has their own flaws and merits.

In order for the government system to be fair and efficient, it is necessary that provision of services to the general public are smooth, public welfare is given the utmost priority, the rights of minority groups are respected and the public voice is given its due respect. That said a certain degree of centralization and a comprehensive and efficient bureaucratic structure is also needed to be put in place in order to ensure good and efficient governance. The roles and responsibilities of each of the government branches and the public offices must be clearly stated so as to avoid any situations of conflicts. Moreover there should be strong government to people and people to government communication on ground level and the general public should have a belief that their opinions are heard and respected and their problems and issues are valued and approached with an aim to be resolved.

While the government system in California places a very strong emphasis on valuing the voices and opinions of the general public by allowing them to vote on policy matters, its overly decentralized approach and little strength of bureaucracy has made administration difficult in many ways. Where policy matters are passed on votes of significant majority, often the voices of minority groups go unheard and minority groups feel oppressed under such conditions. A major drawback is also that if suppose a referendum is held about an issue that involves a minority group as a major stakeholder. Since the whole population of the state would be taking part in the referendum, if the law of the majority is valued, it directly means that the opinion of the group that was the major stakeholder of the law was ignored and value was placed on the opinions of group who had little stakes in the policy (Bowlers & Hanneman, 2006). Past examples of such propositions that were passed in California include ban on abortion and ban on gay marriages. Suppose if the majority vote bank consists if male population who votes on favour of banning abortion while the women who are a major stakeholder and may feel that it must be their right to choose whether or not to abort their child. Since the proposition is passed on majority vote, which is a male vote, women being a major stakeholder would be oppressed of her right to decide about whether she does or does not want to give birth to a child.

In this regard, the government system in New York City is the most effective one. This system is more structured with an efficient bureaucratic system in place that maintains a balance of power between the general public and the administrative setup (Cardozo, 2007). It is predetermined where the general public will participate in state matters through popular vote and where the bureaucracy will take the decisions. This type of system prevents any chances of conflicts, ensures respect for minority voices and ensures smooth provision of services to the general public.

References

Bowler, S., & Hanneman, R. (2006). Just How Pluralist Is Direct Democracy? The Structure of Interest Group Participation in Ballot Proposition Elections.Political Research Quarterly, 59(4), 557+. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5035215406

Cardozo, M.A. (2007). The Use of ADR Involving Local Governments: The Perspective of the New York City Corporation Counsel. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 34(2), 797+. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5021427686

Heidenreich, D.E. (2003). U.s. National Security and Party Politics: the Consensus on Louisiana, 1789-1803. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, 62(4), 370+. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5037713519

Mauro, F.J. & Benjamin, G. (Eds.). (1989). Restructuring the New York City Government: The Reemergence of Municipal Reform / . New York: Academy of Political Science. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102263013

Roumillat, S.C. (2007). Four Hundred Years of French Presence in Louisiana: Treasures from the National Library of France. Southern Quarterly, 44(3), 160+. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5035227214

Staszewski, G. (2003). Rejecting the Myth of Popular Sovereignty and Applying an Agency Model to Direct Democracy. Vanderbilt Law Review, 56(2), 395+. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5036072619 READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Local Government Around the World" Assignment:

“

Analyze and compare three state and local governments that are recognize for their distinctive features, which separate themselves from the norm. Examine the following three case studies and comparatively analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each. In addition, answer the following questions with respect to these case studies and follow this general outline.

Case Study #1- Examination of Direct Democracy- Government of California (length two to three pages)

1. What distinguishes the California government system from other state governments? 2. Why is it different from other state governments? 3. How does the California system of direct democracy affect the performance of the government in providing services? 4. Does the legislature or governor have more power in California based on your analysis? 5. How is the provision of funds to local and state efforts affected or optimized by direct democracy? 6. What are the advantages of direct democracy for California citizens? What are the disadvantages?

Case Study #2- French governance influences on Louisiana State government (length two to three pages)

1. What distinguishes the Louisiana government system from other state governments? 2. Why is it different from other state governments? 3. How does the Louisiana system of government affect the performance of the government in providing services? 4. Does the legislature or governor have more power in Louisiana based on your analysis? 5. How is the provision of funds to local and state efforts affected or optimized by Louisiana’s French based system? 6. What are the advantages of direct democracy for California citizens? What are the disadvantages?

Case Study #3- New York City local government (length two to three pages) 1. What distinguishes the New York City government system from other state governments and local governments? 2. Why is it different from other state and local governments? 3. How does the New York City system of government affect the performance of the government in providing services? 4. What type of local government structure, structures does New York City utilize? 5. How is the provision of funds to local sub-governments affected or optimized by the New York City governance system? 6. What are the advantages of New York City’s government system for its citizens? What are the disadvantages for its citizens?

Compare and Contrast- (length two to three pages)

1. Having analyzed three local and state government systems; what are the key factors in being a successful government? 2. If you were designing a state or local government from scratch, what structure or systems would you ensure were present for successful performance? 3. Comparing California State, Louisiana State, and New York City, which do you think is the most effective government? Why do you think your choice is the most effective?

I choose New York as the most effective government

The Final Paper:

Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a title page with the following: Title of paper Student’s name Course name and number Instructor’s name Date submitted Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis. Must use at least five scholarly resources, including a minimum of two from the Ashford Online Library. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

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