(19) Representative & Direct Democracy Flashcards

1
Q

Delegate model

A

> implement “will of the people”

(assumes that “will of the people” exists and that representatives can know what it is)

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2
Q

Trustee model

A

> own judgement on what is best for the greater good

(assumes that there is a “greater good”)

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3
Q

Substantive representation

A

(stress on second syllable)

= representation of policy

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4
Q

substantive representation: congruence

A
  1. Congruence (stress on first syllable)
    • How far apart are policies of voters and representatives?
    • static
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5
Q

substantive representation: responsiveness

A
  • voters move policy → Do parties move too?
  • dynamic
    • parties move with median voter
    • might decrease congruence in a coalition government
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6
Q

Descriptive representation

A

= represent make-up of society

idea: “people who look/act like me will have similar views”→ leads to trust in democracy and higher democratic participation

not always the case (cf. Priti Patel vs. Kamela Harris)

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7
Q

Evolution Women in Parliament (Europe)

A

1998-2020

  • generally increases
  • unequally
    • Scandinavia & central Europe: high
    • southern & eastern Europe: low
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8
Q

Symbolic representation

A

= specific acts to show that politicians “care”
e.g. speeches in parliament, opening of hospitals…

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9
Q

Measuring substantive representation

A

required:

  1. position of median voter
    • many voters don’t have stable policy preferences
  2. 2 points in time
  3. movement of parties (ideological content of policy)
    • difficult to measure ideological content
    • difficult to compare with position of voters
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10
Q

Connecting with voters (US Senators)

A
  • ideologically well aligned with state
    → less regional policy focus + more national policy position taking
  • ideologically unaligned with state
    → more regional policy focus + more particularist credit claiming
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11
Q

Institutions

A
  • government in consensual democracies
    • cover middle of political space → better at substantive representation
  • some electoral rules are more conducive to electing women and minorities than others
  • some electoral institutions make descriptive representation more visible than others
  • institutions with focus on parties, closed lists, SMDP
    • people can’t vote for specific members → descriptive representation less focused on
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12
Q

Gerrymandering =

A
  • based on American cartoon
  • Gerry (governor of Massachusetts) + salamander
  • electoral district was constructed in a way which secured Gerry’s success
  • gab es aber auch in Luzern 1851
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13
Q

Gerrymandering: possible legitimate reasons

A
  • descriptive representation: Majority-minority districts (overrepresentation of otherwise marginal groups → guarantees their election success, e.g. POC women)
  • people choose to live close to people who are similar anyway
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14
Q

Gerrymandering: solutions

A
  • district-drafting by non-partisan panels (UK)
  • follow natural borders
  • proportional electoral systems with higher district magnitude
  • bigger districts
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15
Q

Gerrymandering: Effects

A
  • over-representation of rural areas
    • guarantees representation for them
  • politicians pay more attention to overrepresented areas
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16
Q

measuring representation (graph: seats/votes)

A

the more s-shaped, the less proportional

17
Q

Malapportionment

A

> different district sizes → some people’s votes count more than other’s

UK: Wales more influence than England (but only a little bit)

US: each has two Senators: Wyoming < 600 000, California ca 40 000 000 people

→ largely a phenomenon in federal countries

(depends on district magnitude!)

18
Q

Direct democracy overview

A
  • referendum vs. initiative
  • sometimes mandated by law (CH, DK)
  • or politicians put vote to public on purpose (Brexit)
  • collecting signatures
19
Q

direct democracy: problems

A
  • wording of initiative matters
  • different rules lead to different outcomes
  • complicated questions → people don’t understand
  • possible tyranny of the majority
  • adds additional veto player

other options: deliberative democracy
- used in Ireland before abortion referendum