Comparative Politics Final

Parliamentary System

Government responsible to the legislature; PM can be removed with a vote of no confidence.

Presidential System

Government not responsible to the legislature; president serves a fixed term.

Semi-Presidential System

Dual executive: elected president + PM responsible to legislature.

Vote of No Confidence

Legislative vote that can remove the government from power.

Constructive Vote of No Confidence

Legislature removes government only if it simultaneously chooses a replacement.

Vote of Confidence

Government request that legislature affirm support; failure may trigger resignation.

Caretaker Government

Temporary government maintaining routine functions until new government forms.

Duverger’s Law

Plurality (SMDP) electoral systems tend to produce two-party systems because of mechanical (seat allocation) and psychological (strategic voting/entry) effects.

Proportional Representation (PR)

An electoral system in which parties receive seats in proportion to their share of the vote, usually producing multiparty systems and coalition governments.

District Magnitude (DM)

The number of representatives elected per district; higher DM → more proportional outcomes.

Political Cleavage

A major social division (class, religion, ethnicity, region) that becomes politically organized and shapes party systems.

Lipset & Rokkan Freeze Thesis

Party systems reflect historical cleavages that became politically salient at critical moments and then “froze” into place.

Costly Abstention Theory

People participate in elections or protests because not participating is psychologically costly, helping explain high turnout and mass protest.

Ethnicity

A self-defined identity based on perceived cultural distinction, descent, and an imagined community.

Cross-Cutting vs. Segmental Identity (Htun)

• Cross-cutting identity (gender): spans all groups → requires integration mechanisms (quotas).

• Segmental identity (ethnicity): divides society into blocs → requires group-based representation (reserved seats).

Imagined Community (Benedict Anderson)

A group whose members feel a shared sense of belonging despite never meeting most other members; applies to both nations and ethnic groups.

Nationalism

An ideology holding that the nation and the state should align, used historically to justify state sovereignty.

Ethno-Nationalism

The belief that a specific ethnic group constitutes a nation entitled to political autonomy or self-determination.

Ethnic Brokerage

A political strategy where leaders of distinct ethnic groups form governing coalitions and share state resources to maintain power.