Comparative Politics - Week 3 (Constitutions) Flashcards
how does Stone Sweet describe a constitution
a body of meta-norms that specify how all other norms are to be produced, applied, enforced and interpreted
what is an absolutist constitution
a controlling meta-norm, where the ruler is above the law
what are the features of an absolutist constitution
- no concept of popular sovereignty
- no separation of powers
- centralised and absolute power
what is an example of an absolutist constitution
Saudi Arabia
what is a legislative supremacy constitution
- the constitution is not entrenched
- parliamentary statutes are supreme
- no substantive constraints on parliamentary power
what are constitutional rights
meta-norms that impose constraints on the exercise of public authority
where is constitutional review decentralised
USA
where is constitutional review centralised
Europe (Austria and Germany)
what is judicial review in the USA
review performed by the judiciary in the normal course of litigation
what is the European centralised model
where review is restricted to a constitutional court
what can a majoritarian electoral system be described as
relies in elections featuring few competitors and identifiable future governments that thoroughly control policy making after the election
what can a proportional electoral system be described as
stresses the superiority of multiparty electoral competition in taking account of the preferences of all citizens and the need for rules that fairly reflect the choices of citizens in the composition of the legislature
how many countries have compulsory voting laws
26 of 203 (13%)
what countries have compulsory voting
Brazil, Argentina and Australia
what are term limits like with a president
always a fixed term
what are term limit like in a parliamentary system
most often not fixed, but constitutionally determined maximum period
what electoral system are majoritarian systems
FPTP, Two-Round Systems, Alternative Vote (AV)
what happens in FPTP
the candidate with the most votes is elected
what happens in two rounds systems (TRS)
if no candidate achieves a majority in the first round, the least successful candidates are eliminated and a second round takes place
what happens in an alternative vote system
voters rank order of candidates. The lowest placed candidate is eliminated and his/her votes are redistributed to each voter’s second preference. The process is repeated until one candidate gets the majority (50% +1)
what is a closed proportional system
voters may not rank individual candidates
what is an open proportional system
voters may rank individual candidates
what is single transferrable vote
the application of alternative vote to multi member districts. The requirement is set by the number of seats available
why do electoral systems sometimes contain rules to prevent vert small parties from winning seats
to prevent fragmentation and facilitate a stable government
