Lesson 1: Introduction

Question 1

Ward & Cao (2012)

Answer 1

Resources: Green taxation Show how green taxation per capita varies over time. Scandinavian countries + UK + Germany have the highest levels

Question 2

Ward & Cao (2012)

Answer 2

Resources: Green taxation Show how green taxation varies over time . Scandinavian countries + UK + Germany have the highest levels

Question 3

Busch (2012)

Answer 3

Resources: Environmental policy/strategy Number of environmental policies have been steadily increasing since 1988

Question 4

List & Sturm 2006

Answer 4

Institutions: Elections and environmental policy

Question 5

Hainmueller & Hangartner

Answer 5

Direct democracy and naturalization decisions in Switzerland

Question 6

Hainmueller & Hangartner

Answer 6

Direct democracy and naturalization decisions in Switzerland

Question 7

What could be possible sources of green taxation?

Answer 7

Actors: Policymakers, voters, firms Incentives – Policymakers: maximize votes – Voters: maximizes own welfare – Firms: maximize profits Policy is more progressive if: • Voters hold more green environmental ideal points • Economy is less dependent on energy-intense production • Other countries implement more progressive policies

Question 8

Policy/ outcome example: Immigration in Switzerland

Answer 8

− MEI: some prefer less immigration than others → why? Case highlights a different perspective: decision-making mode Electoral system → initiative: Volks- und Ständemehr (majoritarian system: absolute majority of votes and of cantons)

Question 9

Aggregation of preferences

Answer 9

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Question 10

Aggregation of preferences

Answer 10

Remember: Actors have to aggregate their preferences to reach a policy decision. Take preference orders => Institution/ social choice mechanism => Collective decision/ social choice

Question 11

Aggregation of preferences

Answer 11

Remember: Actors have to aggregate their preferences to reach a policy decision. Take preference orders => Institution/ social choice mechanism => Collective decision/ social choice

Question 12

Institutions

Answer 12

Consist of decision-making procedures and electoral systems Examples: - Elections and environmental policy (List/Sturm 2006) - Direct democracy and naturalization decisions in Switzerland (Hainmueller/Hangartner 20xx)

Question 13

Decision making modes in environmental politics

Answer 13

Voting Bargaining Lottery • Voting: Typical way of decisionmaking in politics • However, voting is often the result of a bargaining process: vote trading

Question 14

Approval voting

Answer 14

List all options, mark those that you find acceptable (“approve”)

Question 15

Majority rule vs. approval voting

Answer 15

• Approval voting field experiment in German federal elections (Alos-Ferrer/Granic 2012) - In two electoral districts (Konstanz and Messel), citizens first vote officially and then unofficially using approval voting - Result: In Messel, under approval voting, alternative parties ( Greens, FDP) received considerably more votes - Share of mainstream parties fell - Conclusion: Institution and rules matter and change outcomes

Question 16

How policy choices allocate resources and rights (main framework of this course!)

Answer 16

Image

Question 17

Governance unit

Answer 17

Institutions, with decision making powers (i.e. decision-making mode & electoral competition) → what potential effects does a certain decision-making mode have on the outcome and policies implemented Examples: Municipalities, countries, group of countries

Question 18

Policies and their focus

Answer 18

Defined as state objectives => describes instruments that could potentially be used, e.g. CO2-certificates Can focus on: - (re)distribution, - allocate resources, - establish rights

Question 19

Outcomes

Answer 19

• Output (what does the law specify) vs - outcomes (real impact of the policy), - enforcement, - feedback effects (what if any effects do the outcomes have over the governance unit eg decision-making mode or choice of policy)

Question 20

Strategic voting

Answer 20

Depends on the institutional setting = majority rules vs approval voting Result: Approval voting is far less prone to strategic voting (Alos-Ferrer/Granic 2012) → big parties tend to profit from strategic voting within proportional/majority rule

Question 21

Strategic voting

Answer 21

Depends on the institutional setting = majority rules vs approval voting Result: Approval voting is far less prone to strategic voting (Alos-Ferrer/Granic 2012) → big parties tend to profit from strategic voting within proportional/majority rule

Question 22

Majoritarian system

Answer 22

Absolute majority of votes and of cantons/ states/ Winner takes it all, i.e. first past the post

Question 23

Proportional representation system

Answer 23

Distribution of seats is proportional to the party’s received votes