What are the costs and benefits of checks and balances?

Answer 1

Not always effective; Can be blocked if there is no political interest that has enough power to overcome others (federal judges). Not created for proficiency and speed.

Answer 2

Checks and balances are needed in order to maintain and preserve a working government without corruption, abuse of power, or use of excessive force. In other words, it keeps the state from turning against each other. The costs are that you need legislative bodies to keep these systems in check, which is an expense although worth it.

Answer 3

The pros is that it makes it nearly impossible for one branch to have more power then the other two (if referring to the US government) and it creates a safety net when passing laws that affect the population.

On the negative side it can prevent the government from making important laws or regulations (which was the intention when the founding fathers created our government)

Answer 4

1. IndependenceLimited Power
2. Checks and balances create independence amongst the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative branches of the U.S. government. Each branch has its own procedures and rules of conduct, giving them the liberty to legally operate without constraint from another branch. Punishment
3. Each part of the U.S. government is limited in their power as designated by the Constitution. This ensures that no single government branch can overtake another when making policy decisions, attempting to create a single government entity. Controlling the Majority Rule
4. Each branch of the government has procedures to punish or restrict their members from acting in an unethical manner. This type of punishment usually relates to a break in parliamentary procedure on the code of ethics of that particular government branch. Examples
5. The main intent of checks and balances was to make the U.S. government deliberately inefficient. The Constitution was written so the majority could not rule the country with an "iron fist", such as with the historical tyrannies or monarchies of England or France.
6. Examples of checks and balances include the Presidential veto of a Congressional bill, the Congressional impeachment of the President, or the Judicial ruling of Congressional laws that violate the U.S. Constitution.

(Got off of ehow.com)

Answer 5

Advantage - All of the branches have equal power

Disadvantage- Takes long for laws to be made official