Unit 5 Flashcards
two-party system
a political system where it’s realistically only two parties going to be going into the election to compete.
Duverger’s Law
holds that plurality view meaning single party districts will result in a two party system.
Iron Triangles
a stable relationship between interest groups, congressional committees and administrative agencies.
Political Parties
coalitions of people that are on a united front to win control over the government and implement policy
Partisanship
the identification with or support of a particular party or cause
what are minor parties
minor parties have represented social and economic interests that were not addressed by the two major parties.
examples of minor parties
- protest movements against major parties
- green party candidate Ralph nader (won 3% of vote)
- 2016 neither major party candidates won majority vote because minor parties won 5% of it
-1992 reform party won 1/5 americans
Free Riders
enjoy the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring or providing them.
selective benefits
benefits that are only available to group members only
Political polarization
The division between the two major parties on most policy issues, unified with their own parties positions
plurality system of elections
- most parties in the US use this system
- the candidate with the most votes wins
proportional representation system
-most democratic countries
- if a person wins 40% of the election, they control 40% of the legislature.
Why do we have a two party system in the US?
because of election rules, voters have an incentive on not voting for minor party candidates for a fear of wasting their vote.
