week 4: Political parties Flashcards
What are the three constitutional building blocks in modern democracies?
- Legislature: Makes laws.
- Executive: Runs the country.
- Judiciary: Resolves disputes and interprets the law.
What is the difference between a head of state and a head of government?
- 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).
What are the three types of democratic systems based on the relationship between the executive and legislature?
- Presidentialism: Separate executive and legislative powers.
- Parliamentarism: Fusion of executive and legislative powers.
- Semi-Presidentialism: Combines features of both systems.
What are the main functions of political parties?
- Coordination
- Representation and interest articulation
- Mobilisation and participation
- Policy formulation
- Recruitment of political leaders
What is a faction according to Madison?
a group driven by passion or interest, potentially harmful to the rights of others or the common good
what is a cartel?
groups seeking to dominate the state
- seen as a disadvantage of the existence of political parties
What are some alternatives to political parties in democracy?
- 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
What did Lipset (1966) and Schattschneider (1942) argue about political parties?
They are essential to democracy, with Schattschneider stating, “Democracy cannot exist without political parties.”
What is “party whipping,” and why is it criticized?
Party whipping ensures members vote along party lines but weakens the link between representatives and voter interests.
What are V.O. Key Jr.’s (1964) three typologies of political parties?
- Party-in-the-electorate: Public image and reputation.
- Party-in-government: Legislative and policy-making role.
- Party-as-organization: Internal structure and resources.
what’s the difference between mass parties and catch-all parties?
- mass parties mobilise society based on class, religion, and ideology
- catch-all parties mobilise society based on diversity
What are cadre parties, and how do they differ from mass parties?
Cadre Parties: Small, elite-focused (e.g., early US Federalists).
Mass Parties: Broad membership, based on class or ideology (e.g., UK Labour Party).
What are Katz and Mair’s (1995) cartel parties?
Parties relying on state resources, blurring the line between government and opposition, and controlling political access.
What is Lipset and Rokkan’s (1967) cleavage model?
Political parties emerge from social divisions like class, religion, or ethnicity, representing distinct social groups.
what are the two cleavages emerged from political revolution?
- Cleavage between the Church vs. State. (or Nation)
- Cleavage between the regional and national interests
what are the two cleavages emerged from economic revolution?
- 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
- Divides between Agriculture vs. Industry (farmers vs. industrial sectors) -> agrarian parties vs industrial parties
What is Anthony Downs’ (1957) median voter theory?
Parties converge toward the median voter to maximise votes, especially in two-party systems
What are the four types of party systems?
- Dominant Party System (e.g., Mexico until 2000)
- Two-Party System (e.g., US, UK)
- Multiparty System (e.g., most of Europe)
- Bipolar System (e.g., Italy before 2013)
What is the freezing hypothesis by Lipset and Rokkan (1967)?
Party systems in Western democracies “froze” post-WWI, reflecting stable historical social divisions.
Homogeneous constellations
These are party systems where a single predominant social cleavage shapes political competition, like the left-right divide in Britain.
Heterogeneous constellations:
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.
What are the two models of competition in political systems?
Old Model: Single-dimensional (economic left-right spectrum).
New Model: Two-dimensional (economic and cultural dimensions).
What is the spatial theory of politics and how does it relate to rational choice models?
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.
what is Down’s assumption of party competition
- 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.
What are minimal-winning coalitions, and who theorized them?
Coalitions with just enough members to form a majority, theorized by Riker (1962) - if one party leaves, can no longer govern
What are minimal connected winning coalitions?
Coalitions that are not only minimal but also ideologically connected -> loss of one party can lead to loss of majority, loss of ideological cohesion
Why might parties not converge towards the centre in elections?
- Voters are not evenly distributed
- Moving the centre has a risk of being “outflanked” by other parties that appeal to more specific voter bases
What are surplus coalitions, and why are they formed?
Coalitions with more members than needed for a majority, often for stability or broader representation
How does the “modified spatial theory” differ from the traditional spatial model?
It relaxes the assumption that parties focus solely on winning votes, recognizing that they also prioritize ideological goals and policies.
What are curvilinear disparity models?
Models explaining how party leaders and activists push for more extreme positions, potentially alienating median voters (Hirschman, 1970).
What is Direction Theory? (Rabinowitz & Macdonald (1989)
- 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’
What is Juan Linz’s (1978, 1994) critique of presidential systems?
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’
What are the key findings of Martin and Stevenson’s (2002) study on coalition formation?
Ideologically adjacent parties form coalitions.
Minimal-winning coalitions are common, but surplus coalitions occur.
Proportional representation systems lead to more coalition governments.
What is Mobilisation theory?
- 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
What is the Incumbent Hegemony Model in politics?
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
What is the Overlapping Generations Model in political science or economics?
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
What is the Curvilinear Disparity Model in political science?
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.
what type of political system is the most likely to from coalition government?
Proportional representation (PR)
Is presidentialism or parliamentary system more stable according to Juan Linz (1978)
parliamentary is more stable because parties are more disciplined.
(Presidentialism - legislators have fewer incentives to cooperate, thus it lacks effective mechanism to resolve conflicts)
