week 4: Political parties

Question 1

What are the three constitutional building blocks in modern democracies?

Answer 1

1. Legislature: Makes laws.
2. Executive: Runs the country.
3. Judiciary: Resolves disputes and interprets the law.

Question 2

What is the difference between a head of state and a head of government?

Answer 2

• Head of State: Symbolic leader representing unity (e.g., monarchs, presidents).
• Head of Government: Responsible for day-to-day governance (e.g., prime ministers, presidents).

Question 3

What are the three types of democratic systems based on the relationship between the executive and legislature?

Answer 3

• Presidentialism: Separate executive and legislative powers.
• Parliamentarism: Fusion of executive and legislative powers.
• Semi-Presidentialism: Combines features of both systems.

Question 4

What are the main functions of political parties?

Answer 4

1. Coordination
2. Representation and interest articulation
3. Mobilisation and participation
4. Policy formulation
5. Recruitment of political leaders

Question 5

What is a faction according to Madison?

Answer 5

a group driven by passion or interest, potentially harmful to the rights of others or the common good

Question 6

what is a cartel?

Answer 6

groups seeking to dominate the state
- seen as a disadvantage of the existence of political parties

Question 7

What are some alternatives to political parties in democracy?

Answer 7

• Direct democracy: a system where citizens directly participate in decision-making without intermediary representatives
• E-democracy: the use of digital technologies to enhance or facilitate democratic processes

Question 8

What did Lipset (1966) and Schattschneider (1942) argue about political parties?

Answer 8

They are essential to democracy, with Schattschneider stating, “Democracy cannot exist without political parties.”

Question 9

What is “party whipping,” and why is it criticized?

Answer 9

Party whipping ensures members vote along party lines but weakens the link between representatives and voter interests.

Question 10

What are V.O. Key Jr.’s (1964) three typologies of political parties?

Answer 10

1. Party-in-the-electorate: Public image and reputation.
2. Party-in-government: Legislative and policy-making role.
3. Party-as-organization: Internal structure and resources.

Question 11

what’s the difference between mass parties and catch-all parties?

Answer 11

• mass parties mobilise society based on class, religion, and ideology
• catch-all parties mobilise society based on diversity

Question 12

What are cadre parties, and how do they differ from mass parties?

Answer 12

Cadre Parties: Small, elite-focused (e.g., early US Federalists).
Mass Parties: Broad membership, based on class or ideology (e.g., UK Labour Party).

Question 13

What are Katz and Mair’s (1995) cartel parties?

Answer 13

Parties relying on state resources, blurring the line between government and opposition, and controlling political access.

Question 14

What is Lipset and Rokkan’s (1967) cleavage model?

Answer 14

Political parties emerge from social divisions like class, religion, or ethnicity, representing distinct social groups.

Question 15

what are the two cleavages emerged from political revolution?

Answer 15

1. Cleavage between the Church vs. State. (or Nation)
2. Cleavage between the regional and national interests

Question 16

what are the two cleavages emerged from economic revolution?

Answer 16

1. Divides between Labour vs. Capital (working class vs. business owners) with socialist or labour parties supporting the workers and conservative or liberal parties supporting business and capital sector
2. Divides between Agriculture vs. Industry (farmers vs. industrial sectors) -> agrarian parties vs industrial parties

Question 17

What is Anthony Downs’ (1957) median voter theory?

Answer 17

Parties converge toward the median voter to maximise votes, especially in two-party systems

Question 18

What are the four types of party systems?

Answer 18

1. Dominant Party System (e.g., Mexico until 2000)
2. Two-Party System (e.g., US, UK)
3. Multiparty System (e.g., most of Europe)
4. Bipolar System (e.g., Italy before 2013)

Question 19

What is the freezing hypothesis by Lipset and Rokkan (1967)?

Answer 19

Party systems in Western democracies “froze” post-WWI, reflecting stable historical social divisions.

Question 20

Homogeneous constellations

Answer 20

These are party systems where a single predominant social cleavage shapes political competition, like the left-right divide in Britain.

Question 21

Heterogeneous constellations:

Answer 21

These systems have multiple overlapping social cleavages, such as class, religion, and regional divisions. This results in a more complex party system, with parties representing different social groups and interests.

Question 22

What are the two models of competition in political systems?

Answer 22

Old Model: Single-dimensional (economic left-right spectrum).
New Model: Two-dimensional (economic and cultural dimensions).

Question 23

What is the spatial theory of politics and how does it relate to rational choice models?

Answer 23

Political actors position themselves on an ideological spectrum to maximize votes, as theorized by Downs (1957)

Rational Choice Model:
Downs (1957) applied economic models of competition (like Hotelling’s model) to electoral studies, suggesting that parties position themselves according to voter preferences to gain the most votes.

Question 24

what is Down’s assumption of party competition

Answer 24

• Parties reduce costs by positioning themselves near the majority of voters (ideological proximity)
• Politics operates in a one-dimensional competition, typically the left-right political spectrum.

Question 25

What are minimal-winning coalitions, and who theorized them?

Answer 25

Coalitions with just enough members to form a majority, theorized by Riker (1962) - if one party leaves, can no longer govern

Question 26

What are minimal connected winning coalitions?

Answer 26

Coalitions that are not only minimal but also ideologically connected -> loss of one party can lead to loss of majority, loss of ideological cohesion

Question 27

Why might parties not converge towards the centre in elections?

Answer 27

• Voters are not evenly distributed
• Moving the centre has a risk of being “outflanked” by other parties that appeal to more specific voter bases

Question 28

What are surplus coalitions, and why are they formed?

Answer 28

Coalitions with more members than needed for a majority, often for stability or broader representation

Question 29

How does the “modified spatial theory” differ from the traditional spatial model?

Answer 29

It relaxes the assumption that parties focus solely on winning votes, recognizing that they also prioritize ideological goals and policies.

Question 30

What are curvilinear disparity models?

Answer 30

Models explaining how party leaders and activists push for more extreme positions, potentially alienating median voters (Hirschman, 1970).

Question 31

What is Direction Theory? (Rabinowitz & Macdonald (1989)

Answer 31

• parties adopt more extreme and specific positions to mobilise voters to differentiate themselves from their competitors
• voters tend to see only two clear sides: ‘for’ and ‘against’

Question 32

What is Juan Linz’s (1978, 1994) critique of presidential systems?

Answer 32

Presidentialism is prone to instability and coups due to gridlock and lack of mechanisms to resolve executive-legislative conflicts because legislators have fewer incentives to cooperate either with their party or the executive -> ‘perils of presidentialism’

Question 33

What are the key findings of Martin and Stevenson’s (2002) study on coalition formation?

Answer 33

Ideologically adjacent parties form coalitions.
Minimal-winning coalitions are common, but surplus coalitions occur.
Proportional representation systems lead to more coalition governments.

Question 34

What is Mobilisation theory?

Answer 34

• This theory focuses on how political parties connect with voters and build support
• voters with strong party identification may remain loyal to the party regardless of policy changes or other factors
• party labels act as heuristics (mental shortcuts) that help voters determine where a party stands ideologically, making it easier for voters to choose a party even if they lack detailed info about each candidate or policy

Question 35

What is the Incumbent Hegemony Model in politics?

Answer 35

explains how incumbent (existing) parties or leaders maintain dominance by leveraging the following strategies through access to state resources, control of political institutions, weak opposition, public perception

Question 36

What is the Overlapping Generations Model in political science or economics?

Answer 36

focuses on the dynamic relationship between politicians, their policy goals, and the pressure from both time constraints and party expectations.
- Politicians’ incentives are shaped by the limited time they have in office, influencing their decisions and actions

Question 37

What is the Curvilinear Disparity Model in political science?

Answer 37

Tension: The model highlights the internal tension between party leaders and activists. Leaders aim to appeal to the median voter, while activists push for more extreme positions.
Electoral Implications: Parties that fail to balance these differences may alienate voters or experience internal divisions.

Question 38

what type of political system is the most likely to from coalition government?

Answer 38

Proportional representation (PR)

Question 39

Is presidentialism or parliamentary system more stable according to Juan Linz (1978)

Answer 39

parliamentary is more stable because parties are more disciplined.
(Presidentialism - legislators have fewer incentives to cooperate, thus it lacks effective mechanism to resolve conflicts)