Political Science Quiz 2

What are institutions?

Regular patterns of behaviour that give stability and predictability to social life

Informal vs formal institutions

Informal: no clear written rules. Based on internalized codes of behaviour (family,
social classes, ethnic groups)

Formal: Based on codified rules and organization (governments, political parties,
bureaucracies, legislatures, constitutions, law courts)

What is the state?

The highest authority in a given society, which has a
“monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force” within
given territorial area

What is Colonialism?

The act of establishing control over a foreign territory for economic, political, and cultural purposes

What is imperial colonialism? Give examples

Control through direct governance or influence.

Ex:  The scramble for africa

What is extractive colonialism?

Focused on the extraction of resources from the colonized land.

Ex: Congo free state

What is settler colonialism?

colonizing power sends large numbers of settlers to permanently live in and control a new territory, often displacing or erasing the Indigenous population in the process. Ex Residential schools

What is planter colonialism?

a form of colonialism focused on establishing large-scale agricultural plantations to grow cash crops for export — using enslaved, indentured, or local coerced labour rather than permanent settler communities. Ex; sugar plantations

what is trade colonialism?

when a powerful country dominates another region’s trade routes, ports, and markets to control the flow of goods and wealth — often through economic and political influence, but not always full territorial control ex; British east Indian company

What is transport colonialism?

refers to when a colonial or dominant power builds and controls transportation systems — like railways, ports, and roads — primarily to serve its own economic or strategic interests, not to benefit the local population. ex; panema canal

what is not in my backyard colonialism?

a modern form of colonial thinking where wealthy or powerful countries avoid harmful industries, waste, or extraction at home by pushing them onto poorer or marginalized regions instead.

ex; ewaste in agboglashie and Ghana

what is legal colonialism?

the process by which a colonizing power imposes its own legal system, laws, and institutions on a colonized people or territory — often erasing or suppressing Indigenous or local systems of law and justice. ex; aparthid laws in south africa

what is rogue colonialism?

colonial-type ventures that are not fully state-sanctioned (or at least not initially), often carried out by private individuals, companies or informal groups who take territory or exert control without formal oversight from a metropolitan power. ex; putumayo genocide

What is romantic colonialism?

romantic ideals and imaginations helped to justify, shape, or mask colonial expansion. ex; renee batch and SHC

What is post-colonial colonialism?

describes how former colonial powers — or other powerful nations — continue to dominate and exploit formerly colonized countries, even after those countries have gained formal political independence. ex; puerto rico

what is the rule of law?

the principle that everyone in a society, whether ruler,
minister, or ordinary citizen, is expected to obey the
law and (at least in theory) everyone is equal before
it.

What is constitution? 

the set of the most important rules and common
understandings in any given country that regulate the
relations among that country’s governing institutions and also
the relations between that country’s governing institutions
and the people of that country. they can be written or unwritten

written vs unwritten constitutions

A written constitution is a single, formal document (or set of documents) that clearly outlines the fundamental laws, principles, and structure of government.

An unwritten constitution is not contained in one single document. It’s based on a combination of written laws, traditions, conventions, and judicial decisions developed over time.

what are the three categories the UK’s constitution is made up of?

Statute Law (Acts of Parliament), Common Law (judge-made law), Conventions (unwritten laws) 

What is statute law?

Parliament’s written laws that shape the constitution. “Magna Carta limits kings → Bill of Rights empowers Parliament → Act of Settlement secures succession → Parliament Acts limit Lords → European Communities Act links to EU → Human Rights Act protects rights → Devolution Acts share power.”

What is common law?

Judge-made principles

What is convections?

Unwritten political habits

What is the federal system?

A form of government in which power is constitutionally divided between different
authorities in such a way that each exercises responsibility for a particular set of
functions and maintains its own institutions to discharge those functions.

what are the federal systems two chamber parliaments?

Senate has representatives of states/provinces; the house
of representatives/commons usually represents the population at large

How is power centralized between unitary, federal, and confederal?

Unitary ← Federal → Confederal
(Centralized → Shared → Decentralized)

Parliamentarian vs presidential system

Parliamentarian: Head of state is different than head of government. Prime minister is chosen by government 

Presidential: head of state is head of government 

people elect president 

Bicameral vs Unicameral

Bi = two house or chamber

uni: one house or chamber

Unicameralism (one law-making house):
✅ Pros:

• Faster and cheaper to pass laws.

• Less arguing between chambers.

• Easier to understand who is responsible for decisions.

❌ Cons:

• Less review or debate on laws.

• Easier for one party to have too much power.

• Fewer checks and balances.

Bicameralism (two law-making houses):
✅ Pros:

• More careful review of laws.

• Balances power between groups or regions.

• Prevents rushed or bad laws.

❌ Cons:

• Slower decision-making.

• Can lead to gridlock or disagreement.

• More expensive to operate.

What are bureaucracies?

Bureaucracy = Government workers who make sure things get done

What are the theories of public administration?

Classical

NPM (New public management) : The business-like approach means making government services more efficient, competitive, and customer-focused — like running them with a business mindset instead of a traditional bureaucracy.
Alternative theories (post NPM)

What are policy communities?

This model proposes the participation and cooperation of
different groups, to make sure interest groups and others are
taken into account in the policymaking process

What are the different electoral systems?

1.     Majoritarian Systems, simple plurality, or First-Past-the-Post (FPTP)

Voters cast a single vote for a candidate. The candidate with the most votes wins the election, regardless if it is an absolute majority. We are most familiar of this in North America.

Pros: Simplicity, Strong Government, Accountability

Cons: Wasted votes, tactical voting (not voting for less preferred candidates as they are unlikely to win. NDP, green party, etc.)

Examples are US, Canada, UK, Columbia

2.     Proportional representation (PR) systems

Seats are determined by % of votes (20% votes would be 20% of the seats), there are different types of Proportional representation such as List PR and Mixed-Member Proportional.

Pros: Fair representation, increased voters as they feel they have more representation, reduced wasted votes.

Cons: Forming government can be difficult, extreme parties gain representation, may hbe harder for voters to understand, less accountability.

Examples of this is Sweden, Netherlands, Indonesia

3.     Mixed Electoral System

A combination of plurality and proportional representation systems. Voters cast two votes (one for a candidate and another for a political party).

Pros: Combines strengths of local representation and proportional party representation, voters get more options, it is flexible

Cons: It is more complex, strategy voting can still occur

Examples: Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, Germany

4.     Instant runoff voting

Also known as ranked-choice voting. Instead of voting for one candidate, voters rank such as 1^st choice, 2^nd choice, 3^rd choice and so on. Candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated if no candidate received majority.

Pros: Ensures a majority winner, reduces votes that feel wasted, second rounds are not usually necessary.

Cons: Not truly proportional, some ballots are exhausted, complex

Examples: Australia, Ireland

Two party systems vs multiple party systems 

Two-party system (like the U.S.):

• Only two main political parties have a real chance of winning.

• Example: Democrats and Republicans.

• Makes it easier to choose but limits options.

• Leads to stable governments but less diversity of ideas.

Multi-party system (like Canada):

• Three or more parties have real power and can win seats.

• Example: Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, Bloc, Green.

• Gives more choice and represents more viewpoints.

• Can lead to coalitions or less stable governments.

modern state vs democratic state

• Has defined borders, a government, and laws that apply to everyone.

• Focuses on organization, order, and authority.

• Power is usually centralized (held by one main government).

• Example: any country with a clear structure and sovereignty (like China).

Democratic state:

• A type of modern state where people have power through free elections.

• Focuses on rights, participation, and equality.

• The government must listen to citizens and protect freedoms.

• Example: Canada or the United States.

What is federalism?

Federalism is a system of government where power is shared between two levels:

• A national (federal) government, and

• Regional (provincial or state) governments.

Each level has its own responsibilities — for example, in Canada:

• The federal government handles things like defense and immigration.

• The provinces handle education and healthcare.

It helps balance power so one level doesn’t control everything.

What is a civil society?

Umbrella term that encompasses political
activities of certain nonstate actors who are
not part of the corporate sector and usually
pursue activities related to human rights and
social justice.

What are non-government organizations?

Non-government organizations (NGOs) are independent groups that are not run by the government.

They usually work to help people or solve problems such as:

• Poverty

• Human rights

• The environment

• Health or education

Examples: Red Cross, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Doctors Without Borders.

What are interest groups

Interest groups are organizations of people who share the same goal or concern and try to influence government decisions.

Examples:

• Farmers’ groups want better farm policies.

• Environmental groups push for clean energy laws

table sess 15

What is political culture?

“The deep seated ideas, beliefs, values, and behavioral orientations that people have,
or carry around in their heads, toward the political system”

The 17^th Century Crisis in Europe

-              Climate change (-2C)

-              Disease (Black death in 14^th century, bubonic plague in 17^th)

-              Wars (Thirty Years Wars 1618-1648)

four functions of legislature

1.     Law-making. It includes judicial review, respect to international

2.     Representational. Does gender parity = gender equality?

3.     Governmental. It ensures accountability, forms political opinion

4.     Procedural. Forum for expressing different views, and ensures transparency