Comapartive Elections Final POLS 3333 Asher Lubotzky UofH

What is identity politics?

-Political or social activity by or on behalf of a racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, or other group

- Aims to rectify injustices linked to identity differences or misconceptions

- May be both left-wing and right-wing

How does identity politics influence voting?

- Preference to vote for a party or candidate based on shared identity

- Not necessarily based on policy positions or political views

Why can identity politics be criticized?

- Encourages polarization and tribalism

- Marginalizes smaller/mixed identities

- Reduces voting based on policy

- Can be exploited by politicians

What is the incumbency advantage?

- Higher chance of reelection due to:

- Name recognition

- Fundraising advantages

- Access to state resources

- Local networks

- Party support

- (Sometimes) gerrymandering

What has recently challenged the incumbency advantage?

- Major crises (e.g., COVID-19)

- Rise of new media

- Growth of populism

Why is election financing both good and bad?

Good: Enables competition and voter choice

Bad: Wealth can dominate politics, leading to inequality and corruption

What are democracy vouchers?

- Publicly funded vouchers given to citizens to donate to candidates of their choice

- Designed to promote small donations and political equality

Private Funding: pros and cons

Private:

Pros: People can decide themselves who they want to support, Link btw party and base

Cons: Corporations and wealthy gain more influence

Public Funding: pros and cons

Pros: Easier to monitor/regulate and if done well gives more people a chace while preventing corruption and promotion fair interests

Cons: Can be a waste of money often see abuse of funds by ruling parties, limiting parties freedom to engage in elections

What are common ways to rig an election?

- Manipulating voter registration

- Gerrymandering

- Electoral fraud

- Misuse of public resources

- Suppressing opposition media

What is democratic backsliding?

- Gradual decline in the quality of democracy

- Includes undermining free elections, checks and balances, and civil liberties

What is an example of successful ethnic pluralism in elections?

Indonesia: Created broad-based, multiethnic parties after conflict by setting strong party registration rules​

What is an example of a confessionalist system?

Lebanon: Power-sharing among religious groups:

President: Maronite Christian

Prime Minister: Sunni Muslim

Speaker of Parliament: Shiite Muslim​

What is the Muhasasa system in Iraq?

Informal sectarian division of government positions by ethnicity/religion after 2003​

What is the difference between MMP and MMM?

MMP (Mixed-Member Proportional): Combines proportional and majoritarian systems; proportional "corrects" majoritarian results.

MMM (Mixed-Member Majoritarian): Both proportional and majoritarian votes count separately; no correcting mechanism.

What are the main types of electoral systems?

Majoritarian/Plurality: First-past-the-post (e.g., U.S.)

Proportional Representation (PR): Seats distributed based on vote share

Mixed Systems: Combine elements of both

3 multiple choice options

What is proportional representation (PR)?

An electoral system where parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes they receive

How does Lebanon's electoral system manage religion?

Seats in Parliament are divided according to religious identity (confessional quotas)

After 2017: Moved to a PR system but still strongly linked to sectarian identities​

What was the Taif Agreement?

1989 deal ending the Lebanese Civil War

Shifted Lebanon from presidential to semi-presidential system

Adjusted Christian-Muslim seat ratio to 50:50​

Proportional Representation Panels

- Netherlands

- Sweden

- Portugal

- Spain

First Past the Post Panel

- UK

- Canada

- Jamaica

- Zambia

Mixed Member Electoral Panel

- Germany

- New Zeland

- Hungary

- South Korea

Majoritarian Runoff Panel

- France

- Chile

- Colombia

Dominant Party Panel

- South Africa

- Russia

- Botswana

- Singapore

Frequent Electoral Reform Panel

- Italy

- Japan

- Poland

- Ukraine

Electoral CHallenges in Presidential System

- Nigeria

- Kenya

- Democratic Republic of Congo

- Mozambique

Electoral Quotas for Minotiry Representation

- Rwanda

- Morocco

- Nepal

- Tunisia

Post-Conflict Electoral System

- Bosnia and Herzegovnia

- Northern Ireland

- Iraq

- Lebanon

Descriptive representation

Representatives share the same identity characteristics (race, gender, religion, etc.) as their constituents.

Substantive representation

Representatives advocate for and advance the interests of their constituents, regardless of shared identity.