A vetocracy is a dysfunctional system of
governance
Governance is the overall complex system or framework of Process, processes, functions, structures, Social norm, rules, Law, laws and Norms (sociology), norms born out of the Interpersonal relationship, relationships, Social interaction, intera ...
whereby no single entity can acquire enough
power to make decisions and take effective charge. Coined by American political scientist
Francis Fukuyama
Francis Yoshihiro Fukuyama (; born October 27, 1952) is an American political scientist, political economist, and international relations scholar, best known for his book '' The End of History and the Last Man'' (1992). In this work he argues th ...
, the term points to an excessive ability or willingness to use 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 ...
power within a
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
or
institution
An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...
, without an adequate means of any override. Such limitations may point to a lack of trust among members or hesitance to cede
sovereignty
Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...
. More
veto points typically make it more difficult to pass legislation.
Some institutions which have been hampered by perceptions of vetocratic limitations, and even responsible for their downfall, include the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
, the
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...
, and the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
.
The present-day
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
has been criticized for its inability to take decisive action due to the
exclusive rights of veto power of permanent members.
Fukuyama suggests that public sector effectiveness in the U.S. is impeded by excessive vetoes. This can lead to populism and authoritarianism as voters become frustrated with paralysis. In the United States, a veto is not just held by the executive branch, but there are many other opportunities or veto points to derail a law throughout the political process.
United States
The success rate of legislation in the U.S. in the modern era has dropped from ~7% to 2%, which could be due in part to partisanship making veto points more perilous for legislation.
Veto points for federal legislation in the United States
#
Representative to propose a bill
# House Committee chair(s)
# House Committee(s)
#
Hastert Rule
#* If the party in power decides to use it
#
US House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
# Senate Committee chair(s)
# Senate Committee(s)
#
Senate Filibuster
A filibuster is a tactic used in the United States Senate to delay or block a vote on a measure by preventing debate on it from ending. The Senate's rules place few restrictions on debate. In general, if no other senator is speaking, a senator ...
#
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
#
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
#* note: can be overridden with 2/3 support
#
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
#
Lobbyists
Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...
(professionals and otherwise)
#* Corporate lobbying is roughly 4x greater than all other lobbying combined (34x that of public interest and labor lobbying)
Subnational governments
Vetocracy has been used to describe many state and local governments in the United States where unusually high infrastructure and housing costs are in part blamed on the many veto points.
See also
*
Consensus democracy
Consensus democracy is the application of consensus decision-making and supermajority to the process of legislation in a democracy. It is characterized by a decision-making structure that involves and takes into account as broad a range of opini ...
*
Divided government in the United States
*
Dominant minority
A dominant minority, also called elite dominance, is a minority group that has overwhelming political power, political, economic power, economic, or cultural dominance in a country, despite representing a small fraction of the overall populatio ...
*
Electoral accountability
*
Gridlock (politics)
In politics, gridlock or deadlock or political stalemate is a situation when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people. A government is gridlocked when the ratio between bills passed and the agenda of the legislatur ...
*
Separation of powers
The separation of powers principle functionally differentiates several types of state (polity), state power (usually Legislature#Legislation, law-making, adjudication, and Executive (government)#Function, execution) and requires these operat ...
*
Supermajority
A supermajority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fun ...
*
Unanimity
Unanimity is agreement by all people in a given situation. Groups may consider unanimous decisions as a sign of social, political or procedural agreement, solidarity, and unity. Unanimity may be assumed explicitly after a unanimous vote or imp ...
References
External links
Why we can’t buildA few steps to overcome American 'vetocracy'American Political Decay or Renewal?Oh for a democratic dictatorship and not a vetocracy
{{Separation of powers
Pejorative terms for forms of government
Veto
Politics of the United States