In politics and government, lapsed power is a term often used to describe a certain constitutionally granted power of government that is no longer used, according to
constitutional convention. This may be because the power's original conditions of use no longer exist, making it an
anachronism
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...
, or simply because the nation's political culture and attitudes have shifted, making the power appear too morally or ethically objectionable to use. However, the power still exists.
Examples of lapsed powers include the
reserve powers of a monarch under a
constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...
. Constitutional monarchs have significant powers over matters such as the appointment of the
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
or the
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...
of legislation, but in practice these powers are rarely actually used independently.
Comparative public law scholar
Richard Albert has theorized a related phenomenon he calls "constitutional desuetude", which occurs "when an entrenched constitutional provision loses its binding force upon political actors as a result of its conscious sustained nonuse and public repudiation by preceding and present political actors."
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See also
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Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a political ideology that seeks to increase the political power, influence and self-determination of the people of one or more subnational regions. It focuses on the "development of a political or social system based on one or mo ...
References
Political terminology
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