What Are Checks and Balances?

What Are Checks and Balances?

Let me explain checks and balances directly: they are rules and procedures you put in place to cut down on mistakes, stop improper behavior, or avoid power getting too centralized in any organization. They make sure no one person or department has total control over decisions, forcing everyone to cooperate on tasks.

You hear this term most often in government contexts, but it applies just as much to businesses and other groups where power needs limiting.

How Checks and Balances Work

In the US government, checks and balances operate through three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. This setup creates a constitutionally limited government, bound by the federal and state constitutions.

You see them in businesses too, where one person's decisions can impact everything. For instance, big corporations have legal departments and compliance officers to follow regulations, and some factories use union stewards to check management. Sure, these systems might cost more, but they're essential for spotting theft, whether internal or external.

By dividing duties into clear roles, organizations ensure that no rogue employee or executive can damage things without others stepping in. This can actually improve efficiency—adding checks might seem like a drag, but if one person has too much power and overloads themselves, forcing delegation speeds things up.

For publicly listed US businesses, internal controls with checks and balances are mandatory under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Directors have a legal duty to maintain these systems.

Checks and Balances in the United Nations

The United Nations has six main institutions: the International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, U.N. Secretariat, and Security Council.

Each handles different tasks, like keeping international peace, reviewing policies on economic, social, and environmental issues, or acting as an international court.

These bodies and their workers can't influence each other. With the UN's global reach affecting most nations, it's vital that directives are split among groups to prevent power concentration.

Importantly, the UN's voting system and veto powers let individual countries check others' power.

Example of Checks and Balances

Take the US Constitution: it sets up checks and balances by separating powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Each gets specific abilities to stop any one from gaining too much unchecked power.

Here's how it plays out. The legislative branch makes laws, but the president in the executive branch can veto them, keeping legislators in check. The judicial branch can rule laws unconstitutional, voiding them.

The legislative branch can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress, preventing personal gain abuses. The executive can issue orders on law enforcement or government actions, but the judiciary can strike them down if unconstitutional.

Executive Orders

Executive orders help govern the country, implement policies, enforce laws, and run operations. They're issued only by the president as head of the executive branch.

Most aren't deemed unconstitutional, since presidents avoid obvious overreaches, but there have been notable cases. Future administrations can reverse them—for example, President Biden in 2021 signed Order 13986 to reverse Trump's policy excluding noncitizens from the census. Then, when Trump returned in 2025, he rescinded Biden's order.

Since then, Trump has issued over three dozen orders on topics like his economic agenda, immigration, climate change, oil exploration, health research, and eliminating federal diversity programs and gender directives.

What Is the Definition of Checks and Balances in the U.S. Government?

In the US, checks and balances mean separating power across three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. Each has distinct powers to check the others.

Who Created the Idea of Checks and Balances?

The concept was first proposed by Greek statesman Polybius, referring to ancient Rome's government. Later, during the Enlightenment, Baron de Montesquieu in 'The Spirit of Laws' argued for separation of powers to avoid despotism.

How Is the System of Checks and Balances Used in International Organizations?

Many global organizations use checks and balances to limit power among nations, groups, and individuals. Think of NATO, the UN, WTO, and ICC—they all build these into their structures.

The Bottom Line

Without checks and balances, one part of a government or organization could become too powerful. In the US, the three branches—Congress as legislative, courts as judicial, and the president with cabinet and agencies as executive—keep each other in check. Other governments and bodies like the UN do the same.