On methodology of divisions and classifications of parliamentary systems/ Podziały i typologie systemów parlamentarnych: zagadnienia metodologiczne

Parliamentary system was adopted by the most of the modern democracies. It occurs where the principle of government’s responsibility to parliament is respected. This principle is the basis of parliamentary government and a common feature of the largest group of democratic countries. In comparing these countries, one should also pay attention to the differences between them. They concern both constitutional norms and political practice. This implies that there is no single model of parliamentarism; on the contrary, there are many variations of it. In this situation, there is an objective need to organize a set of parliamentary systems. The paper presents examples of different analytical procedures such as dichotomy, classification and typology. The author concludes that the most useful of these instruments is the typology, and it can arise only on the basis of extensive classification of parliamentary systems. The creation of such a classification would require broad historical-comparative research.