Party Systems and Electoral Systems Flashcards
What are cleavages?
Major divisions in society that grew out if historic conflicts. They’re issue dimensions; the more issue dimensions, the more parties there are
What are the 3 types of electoral systems?
- Majority
- Proportional
- Mixed
What are the 3 types of plurality/majority systems?
- Single member plurality (First Past the Post)
- Block vote (Top 2 or 3 elected - seeing who has the most)
- Supplementary vote (Voters give 2 preferences and choose between 2 elected city mayors)
What are the 3 types of proportional systems?
- Party list: European Parliament seats (vote for party)
- Single Transferrable Vote (STV) - Northern Ireland Assembly & councils (preferential voting - rank candidates in order of preference)
- Mixed Member Proportional/Additional Member System (MMP) - Use 2 votes (1 for the candidate and 1 for the party list). Members are elected in 2 different ways but proportional representation used overall
What is the First Past the Post system?
Candidate with the most votes is representative of their constituency (obtain the seat). Small parties with local support can obtain seats but won’t win on a national level; usually beaten by the 2 big parties. Can result in a high level of disproportionality (e.g. 2005 election)
What is the Supplementary Vote (SV)?
Allowed a first and a second choice (similar to alternative vote where preference is given)
What is D’Hondt?
Divide each party’s total by the number of seats in the sequences. The seats go to the party with the largest quotient at each stage. A version used for Scottish parliament; those at the top of the list are elected. Will go down the list (e.g. Person 2 elected if person 1 is unavailable).
Which body is dominant and what is it supported by?
• The executive (government) is dominant and is supported by the legislature (majority in the House of Commons)
What does liberal democracy propose?
Elections should be free from corruption and should be based on the public vote
They state decisions should be made without force however if force is necessary it may be used in certain circumstances
What does the Rule of Law state?
All citizens should be treated equally (links to the use of force as it should be used within a network of rules and procedures)
What 2 things does pluralism state?
The existence of various groups within society (e.g. Charities) is healthy
Believe public participation should be maximised
What does democratic elitists argue?
That politicians are elite as they represent a group of people but have the necessary qualifications to do so
Why do economists believe liberal democracy is the best system?
Because countries which trade freely are more likely to be on peaceful terms; ensures international peace. The free market is the most ideal as demonstrated by the collapse of the Soviet Union
Define governance
Decision making by multiple people in a network
Give 3 problems with the government to governance approach
- Governance suggests that power is more distributed, however this isn’t the case (e.g. Blair tried to interfere with the election of the First Minister of Wales)
- Westminster politicians have become more determined to push through their proposals due to the emergence of governance. By losing authority in some areas, Westminster has tried to compensate by extending its power in others
- Governance has resulted in diminished responsibility of ministers (less accountable)
What does parliamentary sovereignty allow Westminster to do?
Make any law it chooses and it cannot be overturned by a rival body
What is a majoritarian democracy?
When political power is centralised and there are few constitutional limits (includes a two party system and a unitary state) (e.g. Westminster Model)
What is a consensual democracy?
When political power is spread (includes federalism, the separation of powers and proportional representation) (e.g. Switzerland)
What did Rhodes argue?
That Britain has evolved from the Westminster Model
Give 4 aspects of Rhodes’ argument
- Hierarchy has been replaced by governance so that self organising networks are autonomous from the state
- The centre no longer has a monopoly of power - it bargains with other sectors
- Different tiers if government have their own resources and exchange with one another
- Power is characterised by resource exchanges between different political actors (PM needs the support of the Cabinet ministers who in turn rely on advice from civil servants)
What 3 problems did Rhodes state the hollowing out of the state has caused?
- Services are generated by a number of bodies rather than the centre itself (fragmentation of decision making)
- A greater likelihood of policy disasters
- Due to devolution, not one body can no longer be held responsible for the decisions made or problems that arise (weakening of accountability)
What does the Core Executive rely on?
A network of actors to deliver public policy but relies on the central government to grant them legitimacy
Which actor is dominant in the political system?
The Core Executive
What does Rational Choice Theory state?
Individuals are actors within society and weigh the costs and benefits of decisions, choosing which will benefit them the most
Politicians and voters are seen as actors in rational choice theory
What are free riders?
Individuals who enjoy the benefits of collective action without contributing to it
What is the main problem with rational choice theory?
It doesn’t acknowledge other motivations other than self interest, a major problem
What is institutionalism?
An approach which acknowledges the role of institutions in government and decision making
What do interpretive approaches look into?
How beliefs, ideas and meanings shape institutions and their actions
