Representative Government

Research papers on representative government explain the type of government that allows the people to elect their legislature. Have Paper Masters custom write research that explains the nature of government and how a representative government works.

Representative government: A system of government in which the people elect persons to voice their will in the legislature. The United States Constitution has proven itself to be an enduring framework for representative government. It is both specific enough to outline the basic powers of our government and flexible (through the process of amendments) that it meets the challenges of contemporary life. From the perspective of the 21st century, the final form of the United States government is a given.

We accept our three branches of government and single executive as a matter of course. It is refreshing to hear the thoughts and fears of men whose experience was different. Even Benjamin Franklin feared a single executive at the head of the government; the revolution and the image of King George III stood fresh in their minds.

The main functions of Congress are to represent the people, to legislate, to conduct investigations, and to exercise financial control over the government (Egger & Harris, 1963). The representation function is based on the concept of representative democracy in which a constituency elects a representative who votes on their behalf in a deliberative body such as Congress. It recognizes the impracticality of the implementation of direct democracy in complex societies yet allows individuals to have some degree of representation in the law making process.

• The legislative function is based on the enumerated powers conferred to Congress by Article 1 of the Constitution, with the Necessary and Proper Clause allowing legislative functions that are reasonably related to the enumerated powers.
• Congress also has a function of conducting investigations in order to gather sufficient information to support the legislative function.
• These investigations are accomplished through various Congressional committees that gather information and have subpoena power to compel testimony when necessary.

Congress also has a budgetary function in that is develops the budget for government operations and allocates funding to the other branches to support their operations. The budgetary function is an important component in the balance of power in the federal system, with Congress able to withhold funding for activities of the Executive or Judicial Branches.