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Comparing Democracy In Norway And The United States

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Of that less than 5% remaining full democracies, Norway has been ranked the best democracy in the world. On the other hand, the relegation of the United States from a full democracy to a flawed democracy can be traced back to American voters losing trust in political institutions and the increasing role of lobbying. With their automatic voter registration, collaborating political parties, and healthy relationship between lawmakers and citizens, Norway’s democratic success is no surprise in comparison to the United States of America.
The political structure of both nations also contributes to their major differences. Norway is a constitutional monarchy with the king as the head of state and a parliamentary democracy system composed of three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The constitution grants executive powers to the king, but the cabinet, appointed by the prime minister, exercises these rights. The monarch appoints a prime minister to acts as the political leader and head of government. The prime minister is given limited legislative powers but controls the party of parliament as well as the legislative and executive branch. The judicial branch, the highest court in Norway, is led by judges appointed by the monarch. …show more content…

The president is the head of the federal government as well as the executive branch. The legislative branch is composed of the two parliamentary houses: The Senate and House of Representatives. The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court, federal courts, and minority courts. In regard to separation of power, both nations follow Montesquieu’s idea within the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; however, “Economist Intelligence Unit says [Norway] has better checks and balances than the U.S. system” (Smith and Adams,

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