S/P/60. Is the power of the legislature measured by it's effect on policy?

This paper examines the extent to which a country’s legislature, and the power it possesses, is defined by the executive. It suggests that the power of executive oversight is an important consideration, but also that other factors such as the extent of bureaucratic delegation, independence from external influences and public support are also crucial. There is also a question over the relative merits of a rational choice explanation as opposed to these institutional/sociological influences. The varying approaches (rational choice, institutionalist, etc) are compared and critiqued, with a discussion of the relative importance of each factor on a legislature’s power undertaken.