Ethel Wood Topic Five: Political Insitutions Flashcards
Political Institutions
Structures of a political system that carry out the work of governing
Levels of Government
Level of authority, geographical distribution of power can vary
Unitary System
One that concentrates all policymaking powers in one central geographical place that the central government controls
Confederal System
Spreads the power among sub-units (i.e states) and has a weak central government
Federal System
Divides the power between the central government and sub-units, and regional bodies have significant powers (i.e taxation, lawmaking, and keeping order)
Integration
A process that encourages states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout
Supranational Organizations
National governments that establish relations with regional organizations
(Ex: NATO , European Union, NAFTA, OPEC, United Nations)
Globalization
An integration of social, environmental, economic, and cultural activities of nations that has resulted from increasing international contacts.
Economic Globalization
Intensifies international trade, tying markets, producers, and loan together in increasingly extensive and intensive new ways.
Integrates capital and financial markets around the world
Foreign Direct Investments
Purchase of assets in a country by foreign firm
Effect of Technology
Ignores national boundaries
Internet allows news from every corner of the globe to rapidly spread to other areas
Fragmentation
Tendency for people to base their loyalty on ethnicity, language, religion, or cultural identity
Centripetal Forces
BIND PEOPLE TOGETHER; nationalism is a strong force; promotes loyalty and commitment; encourages people to obey the law
Centrifugal Forces
DESTABALIZE THE GOVERNMENT; Encourages the country to fall apart
Separatist Movement
Nationalities within a country may demand independence
Devolution
Tendency to decentralize decision-making to region government
Ethnic Economic and Spatial Forces
Ethnic Forces (Devolution)
If a state contains strong ethnic groups with identities that differ from those of the majority, it can threaten the territorial integrity of the state
Ethnonationalism
The tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy or independence
Economic Forces
Economic inequalities may also destabilize a nation-state, particularly if the inequalities are regional
Spatial Forces
Devolutionary events most often cur on the margins of the state.
Distance, remoteness, and peripheral location promote devolution
Head of State
A role that symbolizes and represents the people, nationally and internationally
Head of Government
Deals with the everyday tasks of running the state
Functions of the Chief Executive
Most important person in the policymaking process, initiating new policies, and playing an important role in their adoption
Functions of The Cabinet
In parliamentary: most important collective decision-making body
In presidential: the president chooses cabinet members
Cabinet Coalition
Several parties join forces and are represented in different cabinet posts; tend to be unstable
Bureaucracies
Consist of agencies that implement government policy; usually part of executive branch
Max Weber Bureaucracy
Well-organized, complex machine that is a “rational” way for a modern society to organize its business; inevitable
Characteristics of Bureaucracy (Max Weber)
(1) Hierarchical authority structure
(2) Task specialization
(3) Extensive rules
(4) Clear goals
(5) The merit principle
(6) Impersonality
Discretionary Power
The power to make small decisions in implementing legislative and executive decisions
Patronage System
Political supporters received jobs in return for their assistance in getting the president elected
Technocrats
A military regime formed a ruling coalition that included military officers and civilian bureaucrats
Common Characteristics of Bureaucracies
(1) Non-elected positions: appointed, not elected
(2) Impersonal, efficient structure: goal oriented and little. concern for personal feeling
(3) Formal qualifications for jobs
(4) Hierarchical Organizations
(5) Red Tape/ inefficiency: may stumble under their own weight
Legislature
Charged with making laws
Bicameral Legislature
Two houses (upper and lower)
Unicameral
Single house
Elite Recruitment
Identifying future leaders of the government
Judiciary’s role in political system..
Varies considerably from one country to another
Constitutional Courts
Serve to defend democratic principles of a country against infringement by both the people and government
Judicial Review
Allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality
Linkage Institutions
Groups that connect the government to its people - political parties, interest groups, and print/electronic media.
Parties
Help bring people and ideas together to establish the means by which the majority can rule; provide labels for candidates that help citizens decide how to vote
Two - Party System
Two main political parties
Ex: Democrats and Republicans
Multi-Party System
Multiple parties; parliamentary roots
Electoral Systems
Rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature
First-past-the-post
When countries divide their constituencies into single member districts
Single-Member Districts (SMD)
Candidates compete for a single representative’s seat
Plurality System or Winner-take-all System
Winner does not need majority to win, but must get more votes than anyone else
Proportional Representation
More than one legislative seat is contested in each district; voters vast their ballots for a party rather than a candidate > # of votes determines how many seats the party will get in legislature
Multi - Member District (MMD)
More than one legislative seat is contested in each district
Mixed System
Combines first-past-the-post and proportional representation; voting is arranged in a combination of multi-member and single-member districts
Referendum
Allows the public to make direct decisions about policy itself
Initiative
A vote on a policy that is initiated by the people
“Transmission Belts”
Conveys interest groups
Interest Group Pluralism
These autonomous groups compete with each other for influence over state policies
State Corporatism
Where the state determines which groups are brought in
Societal Corporation (Neocorporatism)
Where interest groups take the lead and dominate the state.
Recruitment
Ways to identify and select people for future leadership progress
Succession
Process that determines the procedure for replacing leaders
