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.
