4.1-4.4 Readings

Representative democracy

Citizens elect officials to make decisions for them

Officials represent the interests of their constituents

Linkage Institutions

Connect citizens to government

E.g. political parties

How political parties link citizens to government (5 ways)

Campaigns → recruit candidates

Elections → encourage people to vote

Interest aggregation → combine many interest into policies

Representation → connect voters to policymaking

Policy outcomes → implement campaign promises

Factors influencing voter turnout

Higher among:

• older people

• More educated people

Declines when people believe:

• voting is not a duty

• Their vote doesn’t matter

Cadre political party

Elite-based

Centred on individual politicians

Weak organization

Mass political party

Represent specific groups (often class-based)

Strong membership + local branches

Members help make decisions

Catch-all political party

Try to appeal to as many voters as possible

Focus on winning elections

Procedural vs representative party function

Procedural:

• recruit candidates and leaders

• Organize political competition

Representative:

• integrate citizens into politics

• Teach political participation (socialization)

Political recruitment

Process of choosing candidates

Affects who gets power

Impacts representation

3 Different types of political representation

Descriptive → who is represented (identity)

Substantive → what interests are represented

Symbolic → how people feel about representatives

District

Geographic area that elects representatives

Malapportionment

Unequal representation across districts

E.g. same number of representatives despite different population sizes

Representation by population

Districts should have equal population → reduces malapportionment

Reserved seats

Seats set aside for specific minority groups → ensures minority representation

Quota law

Requires a certain % of candidates or legislators to be from a specific group

E.g. gender quotas such as needing 50% women as candidates