GOVT Final

The Modernization Theory of democracy

Main point: High levels of economic development are associated with stable democracy. As a country modernizes, democracy will strengthen.

Modernization package: Hallmarks of what a modern country should look like \-- includes High GDP/capita, industrialization, education, urbanization, and spread of mass media technology.

The survival model of democracy (Limongi et al)

Social structure theories of democracy

"No bourgeois, no democracy" (Barrington Moore)

emphasized the important role played by a large middle-class in accomplishing democratization and ensuring democratic stability.

Role of middle class in democratization

They matter because of economic interest, autonomy from the state, larger middle class means lower inequity, overall stronger democracy

Cultural approaches to democracy

Differences in cultures and their attitudes toward democracy. Some say Islam, coniferous, and catholic cultures are less friendly towards democratic values. However, overall weak line of reasoning

The civic culture

A political culture in which citizens hold values and beliefs that support democracy, including active participation in politics but also enough deference to the leadership to let it govern effectively

Primordialism

The idea that cultures and or identities are fixed and and predetermined. And, that identities are independent of historical processes.

Constructivism

Argues that ethnic identities are shapeable and affected by external factors like politics.

The Clash of Civilizations (Sam Huntington)

A thesis that all or most conflict in the post-cold war world will be among different ethnic or cultural groups. He outlines seven cultures that will seemingly eventually be at odds with eachother. Widely debated as thought to be fairly untrue.

Catholicism and democracy

Throughout most of history, catholic cultures have not been leaders in designing and fostering democratic institutions. Catholic cultures have been thought to prefer traditional styles of leadership, like how the catholic church is set up similar to a monarchy.

God is Caesar/ Caesar is god/ God and Caesar

Differing way that god is viewed in relation to government. God is caesar in states that have heavy religous influence in their government. (see Mullahs in Iran). Caesar is god in states with leaders that have god-like influence. (see confusionism).

Twin Tolerations

precondition for democracy, governments must be tolerant of religions and allow free practice, and religious authorities must be tolerant of democratically elected officials

Univocal vs multivocal religious doctrines

Univocal --\> religions read only one way-goes with primordial view of the culture theory. Multi vocal --\> religions that are read or applied in different ways-goes with constructivist view of culture theory.

Failure of democracy in the arab world

Resource curse, prevalence extreemist islamist ideology, and some say that Islamic culture would not work with democracy

the resource curse

the difficulties faced by resource-rich developing countries, including dependence on exporting commodities whose prices fluctuate, as well as higher potentials for prevalence of corruption and higher levels of inequality

The rentier effect

resource-rich governments use low tax rates and patronage to relieve pressures for greater accountability

Repression Effect

argues that resource wealth retards democratization by enabling governments to boost their funding for internal security

Modernization effect

holds that growth based on the export of oil and minerals fails to bring about the social and cultural changes that tend to produce democratic government.

Gender as political identity

Gender is a constructed category in politics, just like ethnicity or race. Attitudes towards gender and what is feminine, change over time.

Gender as a cross cutting cleavage

Women as a cleavage, transcend many different categories, like socio-economic class, political ideology/party, etc

Differences between gender and other identities

Gender is perhaps the largest cross cutting cleavage. Ethnic groups, sexualities, location, frequently are in the same cleavages whether it is politically or socio-economically

De Beauvoir: "one is not born a woman, but becomes one."

Women only become societally women because of the societal circumstances they are in. Their professions, family standings, culture, are all due to the pressures exerted on them.

Gender as political dynamic

how people engage in politics to challenge existing conceptions of gender roles and how political institutions and public policies shape different degrees of male domination and female subordination

Charrad's thesis about Family law in north Africa

Explains differences in policy outcomes across Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia: the cohesion of the political elite that took power at independence and the degree to which this elite included traditional religious elements within it as key members of the ruling coalition affected today's current political standing

Old and new gender gaps

Traditional: Women are more conservative due to being more religious and separated from society

Modern: Women are more liberal due education and to exposure to society (participation in politics/workforce).

Impact of modernization on gender roles and women's political representation

The standing of women is often cited as a modernization metric. Two way street as increasing women's representation often leads to increased moderization, but increased modernization also leads to higher standing of women

Effect of electoral laws (ie PR versus simple plurality)

PR systems frequently have higher women's representation. Also, presence of quotas and other representation measures. The more women represented frequently means better laws regarding family planning and womens health

Effect of religous organizations

Prevalence of religous organizations within the government often effects standing of women- access to family planning and representation and womens health

Gender representation quotas

-Reserved Seats- seats in the legislature that must be held by women

-Voluntary Party Quotas- eave it up to individual parties to implement guidelines regarding how many women are included on party lists.

-Compulsory Party Quotas- Parties must run a certain amount of women candidates

Do gender quotas make a difference?

Research shows that quotas do make a difference. Greater represenatation helps to break down steryotypes among voters and political class. Also, evidence that: quotas lead to more women, which leads to difference policies, is uneven, but real.

Forms of participation

Voting, Campaign work, contacting public officials, Community work, and attendance at a political meeting. US is low on voting, yet high in the other categories which are more demanding.

voting turnout in US

on average, only 50-60%of people have voted in the last few decades, despite universal suffrage. However, US is high in overall political participation

Amartya Sen

Argued that famines do not happen in democracies. Said that after India had its first big election, no more famines. Cites China's great leap forward and cultural revolution. In autocracies, rulers are less likely to respond to dying citizens because of lack of accounability.

Egotropic vs sociotropic voting

Egotropic voting: when someone makes voting choice based on own personal standing. Sociotropic voting: when someone makes voting choice based on societal standing as a whole

Political business cycle

Often, governments increase spending leading up to an election in a (concious or subconcious) effort to win over voters

Constituency service as a private good

"Constituency service" is the general term for what parliamentarians do to serve and represent the interests of their constituents, like relaying contact information for a local federal office, or providing internships or casework assistance. Limited office resources, along with House and Senate rules, affect what level of assistance a congressional office is able to provide, making these services a private good.

Public goods/ semi public goods

Public goods: are both non-rival and non-excluable. (wind, sunshine, news)

Private goods: Both excludable and rival (food, clothing)

Common goods: Rival but non-excluable, "common pool resources" (mines, fisheries, forrests)

Club Goods: Non-rival, but Excluable "artifically scarce goods" (cable tv, private parks, cinima)

Consitituency service as a private good

Representatives only serve those in their district. The benefits of consitutency services are only available to those within district.

Collective action and the free rider problem

Collective action problems arise when individules have incentives to "free ride" off of other's efforts. Free rider problem: when people are allowed to consume a good (park, library, government funded lighting), but do not have to pay for its usage.

Political clientelism

the exchange of goods and services for political support

Interest groups

private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy

Mancur Olson and the Logic of Collective Action

discussed the conditions under which collective actions problems would exist, and he noted that they were prevalent among organized interests. On the one hand individuals have incentives to "free-ride" on the efforts of others s and on the other hand the size of a group is of high importance and difficult to optimally determine.

pluralist interest group systems

decentralized interest group systems where multiple groups may represent a single interest, membership is voluntary, and interest groups are clearly separated from government

Corporatist Interest Group Systems

A single peak association normally represents each societal interest Membership in the peak association is often compulsory and nearly universal. Work on an official basis with state and businesses. Have an officially recognized role.

Contentious Politics

political activity that is at least in part beyond institutional bounds, involving extra-institutional activity such as petitions, protests, riots, violence, civil war, and revolution

resource mobilization

The ways in which a social movement utilizes such resources as money, political influence, access to the media, and personnel.

opportunity structure

Opportunity is shaped by the way the society or an institution is organized or structured

Framing

the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments.

The "Gilets Jaunes" in France

Populist protesters in france (yellow vests), who demand varrying economic and judicial reform

authoritarian regimes

Monarchies

Military dicatatorships

Civilian dictatorships:

1. No party regimes (Libya & Gaddafi)

2. Dominant/ one party regimes (PRI in Mexico)

3. multiparty regimes (electoral autocracies) (Turkey)

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the government has total control over the lives of individual citizens. (Economic and social)

Selectorate

the set of people who can play a role in selecting the leader

Nomenklatura

Politically sensitive or influential jobs in the state, society, or economy that were staffed by people chosen or approved by the Communist Party

Monarchy

A government ruled by a king or queen

Military regimes

system of government in which military officers control power

Civilian Dictatorship

all dictatorships other than monarchic or military dictatorships. Know 3 types: no party, one party, multi-party

Role of political clientelism in personal rule

Giving material goods for electoral support. Give loyal supporters a position in the government. Facilitates advancing ones legislative and personal goals

Dominant party regimes

A variant system of single-party autocracy in which there is "a category of parties/political organizations that have successively won election victories and whose future defeat cannot be envisioned or is unlikely for the foreseeable future

Why convene elections in authoritarian systems?

Within single-party regimes, elections such as Mexico's Sexenio can serve as the sole restraint to presidential power. In multi-party authoritarian states (electoral autocracies), elections can present an illusion of multi-party democracy at the local and national levels while effectively stripping elections of efficacy. This can help to establish legitimacy while allowing for excessive centralized power.

Mexcio's sexenio system

Sexenio is the popular term for the term of office on the President of Mexico. The president is limited to a single six-year term

Electoral autocracies as new type of authoritarian system

As democratic backsliding happens, electoral autocracies are the most convenient for of dictatorship as leaders maintain democratic guise to legitimize their power while the elections are often corrupted.

democratic backsliding

A decline in the quality of democracy, including the extent of participation, the rule of law, and vertical and horizontal accountability

Mechanisms of backsliding

\-- criminalization of opposition,

\-- The disenfranchisement of opposition voters

\-- politicization of state agencies

\-- manipulation of formal rules for advantage

The Russia of Putin

current leader of russia (1991-present); government is a managed democracy; stalin is his idol and wants to regain world power

Democratization vs political liberalization

Democratization: strengthening of insitutions that promote and strengthen democracy (longer and more complex)

Political liberalization: performativly engage in democratic behavior

democratic consolidation

The widespread acceptance of democracy as the permanent form of political activity; all significant political elites and their followers accept democratic rules and are confident everyone else does as well. the process through which, after a transition from authoritarianism, a polity strengthens its democracy.

Waves of Democratization

1. The enlightenment- US, france

2. post WWII- western europe

3. post cold war- eastern europe, africa

third wave of democratization

Most recent wave of democracy which began in the 1970s; characterized by the defeat of dictatorial or totalitarian rulers from South America to Eastern Europe to some parts of Africa

Underlying causes of the third wave

International dynamics: collapse of soviet union, end of cold war

economic crisis and reform: 70s economic crisis, recessions

Diffusion patterns

Tipping Models of regime change

How you get from a single protester to thousands; the catalyst that ushers in democracy from an authoritarian regime.

top-down democratic transition

one in which the dictatorial ruling elite introduces liberalizing reforms that ultimately lead to a democratic transition

The dilemma of the reformer

Reformers who suddenly want change and previously didn't, they are not trusted. However, they also suddenly lose the support of hardliners. Often end up in the "dust bins of history" See gorbachev.

Bottoms-up protest driven democratization

-Much of the second half of the third Wave has been protest driven (Eastern Europe, Africa, the Arab spring).

-Democratization episodes that are driven by popular protest against the incumbent.

-Tends to happen faster. Protests go from small to very large, and when change seems ineluctable, elites start to defect.

-The role of the army/ security forces: the dictator is ok, as long as the army is willing to continue to engage in repression.

Arab Spring

A revolutionary wave of protests and demonstrations overtaking dictators in the Middle East (2011). Only tunisa emerged as a democracy

youth bulge

a burgeoning youth population, thought to make countries more prone to civil conflicts as many young people are out of work, angry, will protest

The key role of the army

The position of the army will ultimatly decide the success of a protest/movement in regime change. See Egypt, Libya, Tunisa