The problems of parlamentary democracy

Although the introduction of parliamentary government was the most controve rsial issue in Norwegian politics in the 1800s, this form of government has been widely accepted in the 20th century. In this article, I ask whether t his is likely to remain the case in the century that has just begun. There are three important problems associated with parliamentarism. The first is conceptual confusion. I argue that parliamentary government should be under stood minimally as a form of government in which the cabinet is accountable to and can be voted out of office by a parliamentary majority. Parliamenta ry democracy, on the other hand, is an ideal type of representative (delega tive) democracy characterized by the singularity principle. The particular features of delegation under parliamentary democracy are the source of the second set of problems. Compared to presidentialism, parliamentary democrac y provides better control over adverse selection, but is a less certain cur e for moral hazard. The third and final set of problems has to do with two current trends that undermine the effectiveness of parliamentarism: the dec ay of screening mechanisms and the diversion of political accountability. T hese challenges may cause development away from a purely parliamentary mode l in Norway.