World Politics: Democracy, State Formation, and Electoral Systems

What is the origin of the term 'democracy'?

Democracy comes from the concepts of modernization, inequality and distributive conflict, and culture.

What are the two main types of political systems discussed?

Presidentialism and parliamentarism.

What is Max Weber's definition of a state?

The organization that claims the legitimate monopoly of force within a given territory.

What are the key components of a state according to Weber?

Territory, coercion, monopoly, and legitimacy.

What distinguishes modern bureaucracy from pre-modern forms of domination?

Bureaucracy is characterized by centralized organizations, rule-based operations, professional recruitment, monetary compensation, and specialized functions.

What is the purpose of welfare policies?

To provide citizens with a minimum of welfare to effectively enjoy formal rights given by the state.

What is a nation?

A group of people who share a common identity, such as language, religion, ethnicity, or shared history.

What is a nation-state?

A state in which a single nation predominates, with legal, social, demographic, and geographic boundaries connected to that nation.

What is a multinational state?

A state in which no single nation predominates and the boundaries are not necessarily connected with a specific nation.

What does contractarian theory focus on?

The conflicts of interest between individuals and the implications of a social contract.

What is the 'state of nature' according to Hobbes?

A situation without a state, characterized as a 'war of everyone against every man.'

What is the social contract?

An implicit agreement among individuals regarding the obligations of citizens and states.

What did Hobbes propose regarding the state?

An absolutist state with high levels of taxation in exchange for protection.

What is the limitation of contractarian theory?

It assumes humans were solitary, which is not true; pre-state societies had more frequent warfare.

What does the predatory theory focus on?

Conflicts of interest between individuals and the state, emphasizing that states can take resources from others.

What is Tilly's Predatory Model?

States trade security for revenue, and state formation is driven by violence and coercion.

What is the relationship between war and state formation according to Tilly?

War makes the state; states make war, leading to stronger government and bureaucracy.

What is a political regime?

The set of rules that regulate the power held by the state.

What are the two key elements of modern democracy?

Access to power and the exercise of power.

What is Schumpeter's view on democracy?

He classifies political regimes based on outcomes and does not favor the classical definition of democracy.

What is Dahl's concept of polyarchy?

A term for political systems that come close to democracy, focusing on procedures and institutions.

What are Dahl's eight institutional guarantees for democracy?

Freedom to form and join organizations, freedom of expression, right to vote, eligibility for public office, right to compete for support, alternative sources of information, free and fair elections, and institutions for making government policies depend on votes.

What dimensions does Dahl use to measure democracy?

Contestation (liberalization) and inclusiveness (participation).

What is the minimalist/procedural view of democracy?

Democracy is defined by competitive elections and the winning of votes, focusing on procedures rather than goals.

What are the limitations of the minimalist/procedural view of democracy?

It assumes free expression of preferences and ignores individual rights and citizen participation beyond elections.

What does contestation refer to in regime typology?

Competition

What does inclusiveness refer to in regime typology?

Participation

What is the result of high contestation and high inclusiveness?

Polyarchy

What do Schumpeter and Dahl focus on in their analysis of democracy?

Procedure, not goals like the 'common good'

How does Dahl's view of democracy differ from a continuum perspective?

He emphasizes that democracy is not simply democratic/non-democratic.

What are the three components of the provided definition of democracy?

Free, fair, competitive elections with universal suffrage; protection of freedoms of expression, association, and information; limits on government power through constitutional rules and accountability.

What does modernization theory suggest about economic development?

It leads to positive social and political change, including democracy.

What are the two mechanisms debated by scholars regarding the relationship between development and democracy?

Economic development and cultural development.

In Modernization Theory 1.0, what is the key idea regarding economic development?

Higher income and economic development lead to democracy.

What are some changes brought by industrialization according to Modernization Theory 1.0?

Urbanization, education, specialization, longer life expectancy, and economic growth.

What are some critiques of Modernization Theory 1.0?

Change can be unstable, strong institutions are needed, and development can lead to authoritarianism.

What is the key idea of Modernization Theory 2.0?

Economic development leads to changes in people's attitudes and behavior, which leads to political change.

What are the two value dimensions in Modernization Theory 2.0?

Traditional to Secular-rational and Survival to Self-expression.

What does the Survival Theory by Przeworski & Limongi state about democracy?

Democracy emerging and surviving are different processes.

What is the key insight of the Survival Theory regarding economic development?

Economic development helps democracy survive, not necessarily democratization.

How does income affect people's willingness to risk democracy?

Higher income makes people more risk-averse, as they have more to lose.

What does the Redistributivist Theory of Democratization propose?

Politics is a distributive conflict where people act to maximize their wealth.

How do political preferences vary according to income level?

The poor want higher taxes and more redistribution, while the rich want lower or no taxes.

What is the effect of democracy on wealth distribution according to the Redistributivist Theory?

Democracy leads to higher taxes on the rich and redistribution to the poor.

What is a key question regarding political regimes and wealth distribution?

Why do political regimes affect wealth distribution?

What is the primary characteristic of democracy?

The poor majority rules and favors redistribution.

What does autocracy favor?

The wealthy elite rules and favors low taxes.

What can lead to political change according to class conflict theory?

Class conflict can lead to political change, even by force.

What is the Redistributive Theory?

It explains the transition from autocracy to democracy, where elites hold power under autocracy and democratization occurs when they concede power or lose it through rebellion.

What are the three factors that affect democratization?

Economic inequality, capital mobility, and organization of the poor.

How does high inequality affect the likelihood of democratization?

High inequality means more to lose for the rich and more to gain for the poor, increasing elite fear of redistribution and repression.

What is the hypothesis regarding inequality and democratization?

Higher inequality would be less likely to result in democratization.

What is capital mobility?

It refers to how easily wealth can be moved or hidden to avoid expropriation.

How does high capital mobility affect democratization?

High mobility leads to less incentive to tax, which results in less conflict and is more likely to promote democratization.

What role does the political organization of the poor play in democratization?

Strong organization of the poor makes repression more costly for elites.

What happens in cases of moderate inequality?

Elites may concede democracy to avoid revolution or civil war.

What is the assessment of the Redistributivist Theory?

Strengths include explaining actors, preferences, and strategies, while limitations include being too focused on wealth redistribution.

What do political institutions do?

They structure political and social interactions by limiting and enabling behavior.

What are formal institutions?

Official, written rules, usually laws.

What are informal institutions?

Unwritten, socially accepted rules outside official channels.

What is the purpose of electoral systems?

They are rules for turning votes into seats, shaping representation, accountability, and government effectiveness.

What is district magnitude in electoral systems?

The number of seats per district.

What is plurality rule?

Voters cast one vote for one candidate in a single-member district; the highest voter-getter wins.

What is the absolute majority voting system?

Usually involves two rounds of voting; a candidate needs more than 50% to win in the first round.

What is proportional representation (PR)?

A system where seats match the share of votes, commonly using list PR.

What are mixed electoral systems?

Voters cast two votes: one for a candidate at the district level and one for a party at the regional/national level.

What is the tradeoff between representation and government effectiveness?

Majoritarian systems offer effective government but less representation, while PR systems are more representative but can lead to weaker majorities.

What is the difference between closed list and open list in electoral systems?

Closed list allows parties to choose candidate order; open list allows voters to choose preferred candidates within the party.

What defines a political party?

A group seeking political power, usually by winning elections.

What is a party system?

The parties and how they interact, shaping political representation.

What characterizes a two-party system?

Two parties have a realistic chance of winning.

What is a one-party dominant system?

Multiple parties exist, but only one can realistically win.

What does Duverger's Theory state about social divisions?

Social divisions create demand for political parties.

How do electoral systems influence political parties?

Electoral systems shape which parties can succeed.

What are social cleavages?

Social cleavages are social divisions that parties represent, such as urban-rural, secular-clerical, class, post-materialist, and ethnic & linguistic.

What is the relationship between social cleavages and political parties?

More cleavages lead to greater demand for more parties to represent different groups.

What is Duverger's Law 1?

Plurality leads to a two-party system.

What is Duverger's Law 2?

Proportional Representation (PR) leads to a multi-party system.

What is the mechanical effect in electoral systems?

Electoral rules affect parties through vote-to-seat conversion, often punishing small parties and favoring large parties.

What is strategic voting?

Voting for a preferred candidate who has a realistic chance of winning.

What is strategic entry in political systems?

Politicians run under a party with a realistic chance of winning.

How do strategic effects influence small parties?

Strategic effects strengthen the mechanical effect, reducing small-party success.

What characterizes a parliamentary government?

It depends on a legislative majority; the head of state is not popularly elected for a fixed term.

What distinguishes a presidential government?

It does not depend on a legislative majority.

What is a semi-presidential government?

It depends on a legislative majority; the head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term.

What is a key difference in legislative responsibility between parliamentary and presidential systems?

In parliamentary and semi-presidential systems, the legislature can remove the government through a no-confidence vote; in presidential systems, it cannot.

What is the role of the Prime Minister in a parliamentary system?

The Prime Minister is the head of government and political chief executive.

What is the composition of a presidential government?

It consists of the President and the Cabinet.

What is a minority government?

A government that does not have majority support, common in presidential systems.

How is a government formed in a parliamentary system?

Elected representatives negotiate to form a government that needs legislative majority support.

What is the investiture vote?

A vote that approves the government in a parliamentary system.

What are the implications of different forms of government on democracy?

They affect stability, voter choice, accountability, and legislative independence.

How does context affect the superiority of presidentialism vs parliamentarism?

Neither is always superior; context matters.

What does the U.S. presidential system aim to prevent?

It aims to prevent majority tyranny through separation of powers.

What advantage does the UK parliamentary system provide?

It allows the government to reflect the national majority with fewer constraints.

How do political institutions shape democracy?

They determine representation, legislative majorities, and the functioning of government.