The Executive Branch: Comparative and Political Aspects (SC)

How should presidents in the mold of Donald Trump, and prime ministers such as Boris Johnson in the U.K or Benyamin Netanyahu in Israel be considered? Do the current heads of the executive branches of these systems follow a different model, or are heads of the executives more similar than different in the context of their exercised powers? What should be our stance when a system undergoes a process of ‘democratic backsliding’, edging towards the enlargement of executive powers at the price of democratic values? In today’s ‘populist democracy’, should our conceptions regarding executive power be changed? This mini-course, aimed at students interested in the interaction between law and politics, identifies some of the current trends in the study of the executive branch. Part I of the course offers an introduction to the nature of the executive branch under democratic theory and in two democratic systems, the United Kingdom and the United States. In part II we will address the current process of legal transformation in Israel, considered a democratic coup / reform, aimed at changing the system into what many consider to be more of an autocratic/religious state. Against the rise of strong street-level opposition, the fate of this transformation is currently undecided. This case study will enable us to trace an example of democratic backsliding (against the background of Poland, Hungary, and its possible implications in the US), and contribute to a better understanding of the nature of the executive branch and its powers. Topics will be developed through active discussions and role assignments, allowing all students to critically consider the issues raised.