Checks and Balances

Checks and Balances

Checks and Balances, the doctrine and practice of dispersing political power and creating mutual accountability among political entities such as the courts, the president or prime minister, the legislature, and the citizens. The diffusion of power and the mutual accountability are designed to prevent any single group or individual from dominating the political system. Political systems with checks and balances sometimes have a separation of powers-that is, an allocation of different political and legal functions to separate and independent branches of the government. (1)

Checks and Balances

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See Also

• Separation of powers

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Notes and References

1. Encarta Online Encyclopedia

See Also