Ch. 5 Terms Flashcards
interest aggregation
The process by which political demands are combined into policy programs.
patron-client-network
Structures in which a central office holder, authority figure, or group provides benefits (patrons) to supporters in exchange for their loyalty.
party system
A number of parties and their relationships.
competitive party systems
Parties try to build electoral support.
authoritative party system
Parties seek to direct society.
electoral system
Rules in which elections are conducted.
single-member district plurality (SMDP) election rule
In each district, the candidate who gains more votes than the other-a plurality-wins the election.
majority runoff/double ballot
A two staged system, first a majority vote of 51, and then when with more votes than all other candidates combined.
proportional representation (PR)
A country is divided into a few large districts, than they elect many members.
primaries
An election to choose which candidate will ultimately run in a major election.
single-member districts (SMD)
Party leaders choose candidates to run for office, instead of by the people.
closed-list PR system
Elected representatives are drawn from the top of a list, in declining order, and ordinary voters have no say.
open-list system
Voters give preference votes to an individual candidates, and these votes determine which candidate will represent the party in that district.
Duverger’s Law
A systematic relationship between electoral systems and party systems, so that plurality single-member district election systems tend to create two party systems in the legislature, while proportional representation electoral systems generate multiparty systems.
two party systems
Only two major parties end up competing in major elections.
the mechanical effect
Found in the way that different electoral systems convert votes into seats.
the psychological effect
Both voters and candidates anticipate the mechanical effect.
strategic voting
When giving support to a candidate that was not a first choice to avoid an even worse turn out.
median voter result
When a candidate runs on policies that will appeal to the average voter in the center and then work left or right according to their party in order to win the most votes.
majority-coalition system
Establishes per-electoral coalitions so that voters know which parties will attempt to work together to form a gov’t.
multiparty system
Election laws and party systems that virtually ensure that no single party wins a legislative majority.
consensual party system
The party commanding most of the legislative seats are not too far apart on policies and have a reasonable amount of trust in each other and the political system.
conflictual party system
Legislature is dominated by parties that are far apart on issues and are antagonistic toward each other.
consociational/associative system
Refers to party systems in which political leaders seek to bridge intense social divisions through power sharing, broad coalition governments, and decentralization of sensitive decisions to the separate social groups.
exclusive governing party
Insist on total control of resources.
inclusive governing party
Recognizes and accepts at least some other groups and organizations, but may repress those that it sees as serious challenges to its own control.
electoral authoritarianism
A facade of democracy, where the gov’t permits an opponent to run, but only if that candidate has no real chance of winning.
