Comparative Politics: Final Exam Review

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts in Comparative Politics for exam preparation.

Direct Democracy

Citizens themselves debate and reach decisions on matters of common interest.

Representative Democracy

Citizens elect legislatures, presidents, and chief executives.

Liberal Democracy

A form of indirect democracy in which the scope of democracy is limited by constitutional protection of individual rights.

Unanimity

Everyone agrees or at least acquiesces.

Consensus

A general agreement among various groups on fundamental matters.

Concurrent Majority

More than one majority required; most voters and most regions of a country must agree.

Absolute Majority

A candidate receives more than 50% of those who can vote.

Simple Majority

A candidate receives more votes than their opponent (51%).

Qualified Majority

More than a simple majority; typically requires a two-thirds win.

Blocking Majority

A minority can prevent a proposal from passing.

Weighted Majority

A majority after adjusting votes for differences in voting power.

Plurality

The number of votes cast for a candidate who receives more than any other, but not an absolute majority.

Presidential Democracy

Democracies where the government does not depend on a legislative majority to exist.

Parliamentary System

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

Semi-Presidential Democracy

Depends on a legislative majority and the head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term.

Prime Minister

The head of government in a parliamentary system.

Cabinet

A board of directors for government; each member heads a department.

Ministerial Responsibility

The idea that the prime minister is responsible to the popularly elected legislative body.

Collective Cabinet Responsibility

Ministers must publicly support collective cabinet decisions or resign.

Vote of No Confidence

A vote initiated by the legislature that can cause the prime minister to resign.

Caretaker Government

An interim government that steps in when an election is called or an incumbent leaves.

Formateur

The head of state that builds a cabinet.

Informateur

Responsible for building coalition responsibilities.

Office-Seeking Politician

A politician interested in the intrinsic benefits of office.

Policy-Seeking Politician

A politician who wants to shape policy.

Gameson's Law

Cabinet portfolios are distributed among government parties in proportion to the number of seats.

Investiture Vote

A formal vote that decides if a proposed government can take office.

Single-Party Majority Government

Governing party holds an absolute majority.

Single-Party Minority Government

Comprises a single party that does not command a majority of legislative seats.

Minimum Winning Coalition (MWC)

A coalition where there are no parties not required to control a legislative majority.

Least Minimal Winning Coalition

The MWC with the lowest number of surplus seats.

Connected Coalition

Member seats are located directly next to each other on the coalition.

Minority Government

Government parties do not jointly command a majority of legislative seats.

Surplus Majority Government

More parties than strictly necessary to govern.

National Unity Government

A broad coalition consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during war.

Grand Coalition Government

Where the two largest political parties of opposing ideologies unite in a coalition.

President

The head of the executive branch.

Presidential Decree

An order by the president enforced by law.

Cohabitation

Occurs when the president is from a different political party than the majority of parliament members.

E-Democracy

Political processes are handled online.

Echo Chamber

An environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own.

Sincere Voting

Voter votes for the candidate they most prefer.

Strategic Voting

Voter votes for a candidate who has the most realistic chance of winning.

Split Ticket

Voting for different parties on the same ballot.

Straight Ticket Voting

Voting for one party on the ballot.

Retrospective Voting

Voting based on the past performance of a candidate.

Prospective Voting

Voting for a candidate because you favor their ideas for handling issues.

First Order Elections

Elections at which the stakes are highest – typically national elections.

Second Order Elections

Elections for offices below the national executive level.

Referendum

A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.

Initiative

A process that allows citizens to propose legislation for a vote.

Recall

A political process through which voters can remove an elected official from office.

Majoritarian System

A system in which elections are designed so that the winner must have a majority of the overall votes.

Single-Member District Plurality System (SMDP)

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of whether they achieve an absolute majority.

Alternative Vote (AV)

An electoral system where if no candidate wins an absolute majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is dropped until a winner emerges.

Majority Runoff

A two-round electoral system where if no candidate reaches an absolute majority, the top two candidates compete in a runoff.

Proportional System

An electoral system designed to represent each political group in a legislative body in proportion to its actual voting strength.

Direct Magnitude

Allows smaller parties to win because votes are proportional to seats.

Electoral Threshold

The minimum level of voter support a party needs to obtain legislative representation.

Natural Threshold

The minimum level of voter support a party needs to obtain legislative representation arising from the electoral system.

Formal Threshold

The established minimum level of voter support a party needs for legislative representation.

Closed Party List

A party list where voters can only indicate a preferred party without expressing preference for a candidate.

Open Party List

A party list that allows voters to express a preference for certain candidates within a party.

Free Party List

A system allowing voters to allocate votes across different parties or to one.

Single Transferable Vote

A voting system allowing voters to rank candidates in multi-member districts.

Electoral Tier

Refers to the level at which votes are translated to seats.

Nonpartisan

A political system with no parties.

Single Party

A political system with only one political party.

One-Party Dominant System

A political system where there are multiple parties but only one consistently wins.

Two Party System

A political system dominated by two major political parties.

Multi-Party System

A political system where more than two parties have a realistic chance of holding power.

Effective Number of Parties

A measure that captures both the number and size of political parties in a country.

Effective Number of Electoral Parties

A measure of the number of parties that win votes.

Effective Number of Legislative Parties

A measure of the number of parties that win seats.

Political Parties

A group of officials or aspiring officials linked to a sizable group of citizens.

Party Identification

A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one political party or another.

Whip

A party leader who serves as a liaison between the leadership and the legislators.

Pre-Industrial Cleavage

Social divisions based on urban/rural, confessional, and secular/clerical lines.

Post-Industrial Cleavage

Social divisions based on class, post-material concerns, ethnic and linguistic identities.

Cross-Cutting Cleavages

Uncorrelated cleavage structures that create diverse social dynamics.

Reinforced Cleavages

Correlated cleavage structures that reinforce social divisions.

Mechanical Effect of Electoral Laws

The effect of electoral laws on how votes are translated into seats.

Strategic Effect of Electoral Laws

The impact of electoral laws on the strategic behavior of voters and political elites.

Duverger's Law

A principle stating that single-member plurality electoral systems tend to favor two-party systems.

Duverger's Hypothesis

Proportional representation electoral rules favor multiparty systems.

Political Participation

Actions of individuals aimed at influencing governance or political decisions.

Conventional Participation

Activities like voting, petitions, and donations to influence politics.

Unconventional Participation

Peaceful demonstrations and protests aimed at influencing politics.

Illegal Participation

Acts like civil disobedience and violent protests to influence politics.

Paradox of Participation

The idea that voting can seem irrational given the effort vs. low probability of impact.

Three Perspectives of Voting

1. Participation benefits both the system and individuals. 2. High participation leads to bad governance due to public discontent. 3. Non-participants may feel alienated or marginalized.

Disillusionment

A loss of trust in political parties due to scandals and corruption.

Policy Convergence

The tendency of political parties to become less distinct and more similar.

Public Opinion

The collective views held by members of a community on political issues.

Opinion Poll

A survey designed to gauge public opinion through standardized questions.

Sample Survey

A detailed questionnaire used to obtain public opinion, often commissioned by governments.

Focus Group

A moderated discussion among a small group of consumers to gather insights.

Deliberative Opinion Poll

An arrangement where citizens are briefed and can question experts before providing their opinions.

Veto Player

Individuals or groups whose agreement is required for a change in political status.

Institutional Veto Player

A veto player generated by a country’s constitution.