Comparative Politics Final

Question 1

In parliamentary systems: the voting process through which a potential government use to demonstrate that it enjoys the ‘confidence’ of the legislature before it can take office is called:

Answer 1

Investiture vote

Question 2

France is an example of which type of representative democratic system?

Answer 2

Semi-presidential system

Question 3

Cabinet portfolios will be distributed among government parties in strict proportion to the numbers of seats that each party contribute to the government’s legislative seat total, is known as

Answer 3

Gamson’s Law

Question 4

When representatives take actions in line with the ideological interests of those they represent, it is known as

Answer 4

Substantive Representation

Question 5

A government where the governing party in the legislature only has a plurality of seats is also known as what type of government?

Answer 5

Single-party minority government

Question 6

The minimum level of voter support a party needs to obtain legislative representation that arises as a mathematical by-product of the electoral system is known as

Answer 6

Natural Threshold

Question 7

Elections which are viewed as less important by voters, parties, and the media, usually occurring at local and regional levels, are also known as

Answer 7

Second-order elections

Question 8

The number of representatives elected in a district is also known as

Answer 8

District magnitude

Question 9

A popular vote on whether an elected official should be removed from office during normal tenure is also known as

Answer 9

Recalls

Question 10

A party list in which voters can indicate their preferred party and express preference for their favored candidate within that party is known as

Answer 10

Open Party List

Question 11

A system in which more than two parties have a realistic chance of holding power is also known as

Answer 11

Multi-party system

Question 12

A measure of the number of parties that win votes is known as

Answer 12

Effective number of electoral parties

Question 13

An attachment to a party that helps citizens locate themselves on the political landscape is known as

Answer 13

Party identification

Question 14

A theory stating that single member district plurality systems encourage two-party system at district level is known as

Answer 14

Duverger’s Law

Question 15

A group identified by name and ideology that fields candidates at elections in order to win public office and control government is known as

Answer 15

Political party

Question 16

The range of views held on an issue of public concern by the members of an affected community is known as

Answer 16

Public opinion

Question 17

The idea that voting is an irrational act given the time and effort involved and the minimal chance that any one voter can make a difference is known as

Answer 17

Paradox of participation

Question 18

When the voter votes for the most preferred candidate that has the realistic chance of winning, they are considered to be performing which type of voting preference?

Answer 18

Strategic voting

Question 19

Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on the recent past is known as

Answer 19

Retrospective Voting

Question 20

A moderated discussion among a small group of respondents on a particular topic, used to explore the thinking and emotions behind people’s attitudes is known as

Answer 20

Focus Group

Question 21

Judicial rulings founded on written legal codes which seek to provide a single overarching framework for the conduct of public affairs is also known as

Answer 21

Civil Law

Question 22

A constitution that can be amended more easily, often in the same way that ordinary legislation is passed is known as

Answer 22

Flexible Constitution

Question 23

The perspective that judges can venture beyond narrow legal reasoning so as to influence public policy, is known as

Answer 23

Judicial activism

Question 24

A government system in which sovereignty rests with the national government, and regional or local units have no independent powers is known as

Answer 24

Unitary system

Question 25

A federal system in which the layers are intermingled, and it is difficult to see who has ultimate responsibility is known as

Answer 25

Cooperative Federalism

Question 26

A coalition where there are no parties that arent required to control a legislative majority

Answer 26

Minimum Winning Coalition (MWC)

Question 27

The Minimal Winning Coalition with the lowest number of surplus seats

Answer 27

Least Minimal Winning Coalition

Question 28

Coalition where the member parties are located next to each other in the policy space

Answer 28

Connected Coalition

Question 29

A govt in which the governmental parties dont jointly a command a majority of legislative seats

Answer 29

Minority govt

Question 30

When the voter votes for the candidate that is their most preferred

Answer 30

Sincere Voting

Question 31

When the voter votes for the most preferred candidate that has a realistic chance of winning

Answer 31

Strategic Voting

Question 32

When a voter in an election votes for candidates from different political parties when multiple offices are being decided by single election

Answer 32

Split- ticket voting

Question 33

Where a voter chooses candidates from the same political party for every office up for election

Answer 33

Straight-ticket voting

Question 34

Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on recent past

Answer 34

Retrospective voting

Question 35

Voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

Answer 35

Prospective voting

Question 36

An individual or collective actor whose agreement is necessary for a change in the political status quo to occur

Answer 36

veto-player

Question 37

veto players generated by a country’s constitution

Answer 37

Institutional veto players

Question 38

veto players generated by the way the political game is played

Answer 38

Partisan veto players

Question 39

The weakening bonds between voters and parties, reflected both in a fall in the proportion of voters identifying with any party and a decline in the strength of allegiance among those retaining a party loyalty

Answer 39

Partisan dealignment

Question 40

The idea that voting is an irrational act given the time and effort involved and the minimal chance that any one voter can make a difference

Answer 40

Paradox of participation

Question 41

Viewed as less important by voters, parties, and the media than first order elections
Local and regional elections are also considered second-order elections
Ex: Primary Elections in US, European Parliamentary elections
Turnout is expected to be lower than in national elections
Voters are more prone to vote for protest parties, rather than the usual mainstream parties that they would vote for in national elections
Often used by voters to punish or reward the current governing parties

Answer 41

Second Order Elections

Question 42

The willingness of judges to venture beyond narrow legal reasoning so as to influence public policy
Reasons for Judicial Activism:
1. Decline of the political left has enlarged the scope of judiciary
2. The increasing reliance on regulation as a mode of governance encourages court intervention
3. International conventions give judges an extra lever to move outside the limits of national law
4. The continuing prestige of the judiciary encourage some transfer of authority to its domain

Answer 42

Judicial Activism

Question 43

Elections are events in which citizens choose between two alternative teams of politicians
Whichever team wins an electoral majority forms the govt and implements the policies it ran on during the campaign
Citizens can use their evaluations of the team’s policy record when deciding whether to reward or punish the incumbent in the next election
Policy should be determined by the majority
Citizens who hold minority preferences should have no influence in the policymaking process, concentrated in the hands of the majority
The citizenry’s ability to control its elected representatives and policy through the electoral process is only possible if there’s a clear concentration of power in a single majority

Answer 43

Majoritarian Vision

Question 44

Elections are events in which citizens choose representatives from a wide range of social groups who are then entrusted to bargain over policy on behalf of the citizens
Elections are not referendums on the set of policies the govt implemented, rather are there to provide the citizens the opportunity to choose the representatives who will be effective advocates for their interests after the election
The goal of an election is to produce a legislature that’s a miniature reflection of society as a whole
All societal groups, even minorities, should have the power to influence policy in direct proportion to their electoral size

Answer 44

Consensus Vision

Question 45

A party list in which voters can only indicate their preferred party and can’t express a preference for a particular candidate
Allows the party to control candidate list
Allows for greater gender equality and minority representation
Allows the party to reward/punish

Answer 45

Closed Party List

Question 46

A party list in which voters can indicate not only their preferred party but also their favored candidate within that party
Allows voter greater control to express their preferences for particular candidates
However, can create intraparty fighting of candidates who must compete for the same pool of voters
Also, candidates have the incentive to cultivate a personal vote that results in voter loyalty to the candidate and not the overall party

Answer 46

Open Party List

Question 47

One in which sovereignty rests with the national govt, and regional or local units have no independent powers
Emerged in societies with history of monarchical rule and in territorially smaller states
Increasingly have shifted towards shifting responsibilities to lower levels of governance such as regional governments

Answer 47

Unitary Systems

Question 48

One in which sovereignty is shared between two or more levels of govt, each with independent powers and responsibilities
Used within federations
Typically used within territorially large and ethnically diverse states

Answer 48

Federal System