ABSTRACT
Executive–legislative relationship has been in the focus of scholarship on legislative agenda setting. The constitutional structure is a major point of reference against which the ability of parliament to determine its policy agenda is assessed. In particular, these or that degrees of parliamentary autonomy result from specific models of separation of powers. Under presidentialism, a robust separation-of-powers system allows legislatures to engage in active lawmaking without jeopardizing the government if some proposal deviates from the government’s policy goals. However, in those systems where majority support in the parliament is essential for keeping the executive in power, allowing the parliament to remain active in agenda setting may entail a cost: executive instability.
