Electoral Rules and the Quality of Representation Flashcards
democracy =
government by the people and also in accordance with the people’s preferences.
Majoritarian democracy: ‘for the people’ means for the majority
Consensus democracy: ‘for the people’ means for “as many people as possible”
majoritarian model of democracy
concentration of power in a single-party majority government. Executive is dominant, there is a centralized government. Electoral system typically favours a two-party system, often using first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting. Examples are United Kingdom / New Zealand
better accountability / efficiency
fFPTP (first past the post)
country is divided into electoral districts or constituencies. In each district, voters choose a candidate. The candidate who receives the most votes in that district wins, regardless of whether they get a majority (over 50%) of the votes
consensus model of democracy
power is more dispersed and shared among different political actors. Emphasizes inclusivity, negotiation, and compromise. The government often involves coalitions, and there’s a proportional representation electoral system.
better inclusiveness
electoral formula
the method used to calculate the allocation of seats based on votes
majoritarian = Systems like First-Past-the-Post, where the candidate with the most votes wins in each district.
proportional = seats are allocated based on the proportion of votes each party receives.
mixed systems = combine elements of both majoritarian and proportional systems
district magnitude
number of representatives elected from each district
single-Member districts: only one representative is elected per district, common in majoritarian systems like FPTP.
multi-Member districts: several representatives are elected from a single district, common in PR systems. Higher district magnitudes generally lead to more proportional outcomes.
electoral threshold
minimum percentage of votes that a party needs to gain representation in legislature
high thresholds: can prevent smaller parties from gaining seats, leading to fewer but larger parties.
low / no threshold: allows for greater party fragmentation and more representation of smaller parties.
total membership of elected body
total number of seats in the legislative body
larger legislatures: tend to allow for more accurate representation of smaller parties and minority groups.
smaller legislatures: may result in less proportional outcomes, with larger parties dominating.
influence of presidential elections on legislative actions
two-party presidential race may encourage two-party legislative race
strong presidential influence: in presidential systems, the president’s party may dominate the legislature, particularly if elections are held concurrently.
weak / no influence: in parliamentary systems or where presidential and legislative elections are separate, the influence may be minimal.
malapportionment
number of the elected in different districts poorly allocated based on populations (mismatch district’s population and vote share)
high malapportionment: some districts have significantly more or fewer voters per representative, leading to unequal representation.
low / no malapportionment: ensures that all districts have roughly equal voter-to-representative ratios, promoting fairness in representation.
interparty electoral links
extent to which electoral rules encourage or discourage cooperation between parties
high interparty links: systems that encourage alliances, coalitions, or joint lists between parties to maximize electoral success (e.g., through PR systems).
low interparty links: systems that encourage parties to compete independently, often seen in majoritarian systems where coalition-building before elections is less common.
one to one congruence
citizen-representative
focuses on the relationship between an individual citizen and their representative.
it is measured by the absolute ideological distance between the citizen’s preferences and those of the representative.
many to one congruence
distributions of citizens - representative
focus on the relationship between a group of citizens and a single representative (or government).
different ways to conceptualize this relationship, including absolute median citizen congruence, absolute citizen congruence, and relative citizen congruence, each offering different insights into how well representatives align with citizen preferences.
many to many congruence
distribution of citizens - distribution of representatives
recognizes that there are multiple citizens with diverse preferences and multiple representatives with varying ideological stances. Congruence is high when the distributions of preferences are similar, and perfect when they are identical.
this approach recognizes the complexity of representation in a democratic context.
absolute median citizen congruence
assesses the ideological distance between the median citizen’s preferences and those of the representative. May overlook the broader distribution of citizen preferences.
