Bicameralism

In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a parliament or legislature which consists of two Chambers or Houses.

The relationship between the two Chambers varies; in some cases, they have equal power, while in others, one Chamber is clearly superior in its powers.

Some political scientists believe that bicameralism makes meaningful political reforms more difficult to achieve and increases the risk of deadlock (particularly in cases where both Chambers are powerful). Others argue strongly for the merits of the checks and balances provided by the bicameral model, which they believe helps prevent the passage into law of ill-considered legislation.

Examples

Examples include:

• Parliament in the United Kingdom which consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords

• Congress in the United States which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate; all of the state legislatures except Nebraska's are also bicameral.

• Parliament in Canada, which consists of the House of Commons and the Senate

• Oireachtas Éireann in the Republic of Ireland which consists of Dáil Éireann (the House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (the Senate)

• Parliament in India, which consists of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (House of the States).

• Parliament in the Fifth French Republic which consists of the National Assembly and the Senate

See Unicameralism