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Difficulty: MediumThe Legislature: Unicameralism and Bicameralism

In a federal system of government, which of the following represents the primary structural rationale for adopting a bicameral legislature?

  1. Safeguarding minority interests and ensuring equal representation for federating unitsAnswer
  2. B
    Reducing the total financial cost of legislative administration and member allowances
  3. C
    Accelerating the law-making process by avoiding duplicate committee hearings
  4. D
    Eliminating the power of judicial review over parliamentary enactments

Answer

Safeguarding minority interests and ensuring equal representation for federating units
Bicameralism in federal states establishes a second chamber where federating units receive equal representation regardless of population size. This balances the lower house's population-proportional representation and prevents minority units from being marginalized.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core structural problem in federal governance.
In federal states, representation based purely on population in a single house favours larger constituent states over smaller ones.
A mechanism is required to balance power among unequal federating units.
2
Analyze how bicameralism resolves this structural imbalance.
The creation of an upper house (e.g., the Senate in Nigeria or the USA) gives equal seats to every state regardless of size, serving as a safeguard for less populous units.
This dual representation mechanism is the foundational reason federal constitutions adopt bicameral legislatures.

Key Concept

Federalism and Bicameral Legislative Representation
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Topics

The Legislature: Unicameralism and Bicameralism

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