Unit 4 Gov Test

What is (SDMP) single member district plurality (first past the post/winner take all)?

* One representative per district
* Representative is the winning candidate who gets the most votes in the district
* A majority is NOT required
* Chosen by the people of the district
* Voters only chose ONE candidate
* Tends to lead to a two party system

What is (PR) proportional representation (party list system)?

* Multiple members per district (may be the entire country)
* Voters select a PARTY, NOT A CANDIDATE
* After all ballots are collected, percentages of votes received by parties are calculated (ex. Labour Party won 40% of the 10,000 ballots)
* Then, they receive the same percentage of seats (ex. Labour Party got 40% of the 360 seats) and the party assigns seats to party members
* Tends to lead to a multi-party system

What are gender quotas?

* Require political parties to have a certain percentage of female candidates run in SDMP or be placed in seats in PR
* In Mexico
* Common in Latin America

What is the election system in Russia?

* In Duma, half of the 450 members are elected through the PR system and the other half through single member district (majority).
* Federation Council appointed by regional governors and legislature but not independent due to the fact that governors are approved by President
* Does not enhance democratization
* In PR election, parties must get >5% of the vote to win seats.
* President directly elected and must win a majority
* Semi-presidential system

What is the election system in Iran?

* President must win a majority, directly elected every 4 years (run off method if no candidate wins a majority)
* Single member (majority) and multi-member districts in the Majles, candidates are vetted by the Guardian Council
* Legislative body lacks political party structures
* 290 seats, some seats are reserved for non-Muslim minorities
* 1/2 of Guardian Council are selected by the Supreme leader and the other 1/2 are by the judiciary with Majles approval

What is the election system in Mexico?

* 300 members elected through SDMP and 200 members through PR (2% floor for parties to be represented) in the Chamber of Deputies
* 96 members in Senate are elected by multi-member district system. Each district has 3 senators and the party who wins the most votes gets 2 senators, the runner up gets 1

What is the election system in Nigeria?

* House of Representatives and Senate are elected through Single member district
* Number of representatives that represent an electoral district depends on population size
* Senate has 3 members directly elected from 36 states
* Presidential candidates must win the most votes and secure at least 25% of the vote in 2/3s of Nigeria’s states
* Majority

What is the election system in China?

* Indirect elections by local governments
* No official elections except for CCP member elections

What is the election system in the United Kingdom?

* House of Lords appointed, approved by monarch with recommendations made by the prime minister and an independent commission
* House of Commons elected through SDMP

How does proportional representation serve regime objectives?

* Increase in the number of political parties represented
* Increase of election of minority candidates

How does SDMP serve regime objectives?

* Promote two-party systems
* Provide voters with strong constituency service and accountability
* Ensure geographic representation

How do election rules affect regime objectives?

* Representation of different religious, ethnic and socioeconomic groups

What does party membership look like in China?

* One party (CCP)
* Centralism and order, but 8 other parties exist to broaden discussion and consultation but don’t have much power as CCP ensures parties are small and supportive
* CCP based off of democratic centralism (society is best led by an elite vanguard party with a “superior” understanding of the Chinese people and their needs
* CCP is strong, all other parties weak and act as a release valve
* CCP controlled the gov’t and military since 1949, minor parties have limited power to fill minor political offices

What does party membership look like in Russia?

* One party dominance by only allowing legally registered parties to run, selective court decisions to disqualify candidates, limiting opposing viewpoints in media
* United Russia, pro-Putin- right wing
* The Communist Party of the Russian Federation- Communist party from old Soviet Union, nationalist- left wing
* Liberal Democrats- anti-semitic and anti-reformist, far right
* Parties are weak
* Diminished representation of smaller parties

What does party membership look like in Iran?

* Factionalist, weak
* Splintering of political elites based off of personalities and ideologies
* Many political parties are of former dissidents are now in exile
* Executives of Construction Party- Reformist (right wing)
* Moderation and Development Party (center)
* Combatant Clergy Association- reformist, supports Islamic Coalition Party, (right wing)
* Islamic Coalition Party- oldest, conservative (right-wing) not a party but influences the gov’t, supports CCA
* Lacks formal political party structures- parties operate as loosely formed political alliances

What does party membership look like in Mexico?

* Elimination of state-owned corporations to decrease patronage, decentralization and one-party power at the subnational level
* Establishment of the National Electoral Institute to ensure fair and free elections
* Multi-party
* PRI- corporatist structure with patron-client system- center right
* PRD- left opposition to PRI, appeals to young populists (left-wing)
* PAN- right leaning opposition, supports Catholic Church and middle class
* Morena- anti-neoliberalist, populist (left), established by A.M.L.O.
* PRI strong, all other parties developing
* Parties can form coalitions to nominate candidates for any election

What does party membership look like in Nigeria?

* Multiparty system which includes 30 registered political parties
* 2 strong parties- People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress of Nigeria (APC)
* 3rd party with a degree of electoral success
* PDP- center right, strong
* APC- left, strong
* Labor party developing
* Multiple parties /w ethnic quotas affect representation in the federal legislature

What does party membership look like in the UK?

* Competition between the two major parties- Labour and Conservative
* Minor parties are also able to win some legislative representation
* Conservative- right wing, conservative
* Labour- left wing, more socialist
* Liberal Democratic Alliance Party- liberal
* Parties are strong
* SDMP diminishes minor-party representation but allows regional parties to win legislative seats

What are catch-all political parties?

* Parties that earn support from groups /w different characteristics, attracting popular support /w ideologically diverse platforms

What are social movements?

* Social movements are organized, collective societies that aim to fundamentally change society or resist it
* Large groups working together
* Long-term goals, less formal, grass-roots
* Reflect frustration with current system and a desire for change
* Shorter, less organized, difficult to establish connections /w government institutions and leaders
* Membership more inconsistent and potentially less committed
* Harder to suppress, can have significant sociopolitical consequences
* Usually addresses civil rights, redistribution, free and fair elections, equality, environment and corruption

What are interest groups?

* Groups of like-minded people who want to influence public policy- not fundamentally change society
* Organizations created to represent and articulate a specific interest or policy
* Attempts formal communication with the regime
* More organized and established
* Can foster ties to the gov’t over time
* Can build a solid base of support and loyal following
* More controllable by the state
* Goals are limited

What do social movements and interest groups have in common?

* Both want to change society and public society to some extent
* Have connections to civil society, political participation, civil liberties, political efficacy and political and social cleavages
* Fundamental to political participation and civil society
* Exists in democratic and authoritarian regimes (more restricted in auth regimes)

What are the social movements in Iran and how do interest movements work?

* Green Movement that protested corruption in the 2009 election
* Corporatist

What are the social movements in Mexico and how do interest movements work?

* Zapatista/Chiapas uprising in Mexico in response to socioeconomic inequality and the negative impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement
* Neo-corporatist

What are the social movements in Nigeria and how do interest movements work?

* Often militant movements
* Includes Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People- emerged to advocate for the rights of an ethnic minority or to protest against the unjust methods of oil in the Niger Delta region
* Boko Haram movement attempted to establish an Islamic state in Northern Nigeria
* Corporatist relationship between Nigerian parastatals

What are the social movements in China and how do interest movements work?

* Corporatist- interest groups not allowed to influence the gov’t
* NGOs and unions run by the gov’t
* 1989 Democracy Movement- ended in Tiananmen Square, gov’t killed students
* Beijing Spring
* Grass mud horse
* Umbrella movement
* Falun Gong (Shen Yun)

What are the social movements in Russia and how do interest movements work?

* Corporatist
* Large and powerful oligarchy
* Fair treatment of the LGBTQ community, corruption and free and fair elections

What are the social movements in the UK and how do interest movements work?

* Pluralist
* Neo-corporatist
* Anti-Brexit
* Climate Change
* LGBTQ+ movement

What is corporatism?

* Allow interest groups to function with low levels of autonomy- usually to the point that the state has created them
* Government controls access to policy making by relying on state-sanctioned groups or single peak associations to represent labor, business and agricultural sectors

What is pluralism?

* Grant interest groups the most autonomy to advocate
* More freedom, promote competition amongst autonomous groups

What is neo-corporatism?

* Interest groups dominate the state and take the lead