PS exam 2

descriptive representation

who is represented

district

territorial area that an elected official represents in the legislature; also called a constituency or riding

district magnitude

the number of seats available in the electoral district

electoral rules

the laws that set forth how voters choose their elected representatives and how votes are turned into seats in the national legislature

gender parity

when the gender quota mandates half men and half women

plurality

referring to the most, not the majority; in single-member districts, candidates win with the most votes

political representation

a multifaceted concept describing who is present in a national legislature and what they do

substantive representation

a facet of political rep studying which interests are manifested during the lawmaking process as well as the extent to which voters’ policy preferences and interests are promoted by their representatives

symbolic representation

facet of political rep that referes to how citizens’ and voters’ behaviors and attitudes change in response to descriptive representation

apportionment

the way districts are drawn, think of separation of voters and gerrymandering

Duverger’s law

1. the plurality single-ballot system tends to party dualism

2. the second ballot system or proportional representation tend to multipartyism

gerrymandering

drawing district lines to ensure certain voting outcomes/prevent certain voting outcomes, seen in House bc districts are used in voting for House reps

malapportionment

drawing maps in an unfair way, seen in the House bc districts are drawn for US House

minority groups

groups underrepresented in government such as women, people of color, disabled people, queer people, etc.

proportional representation

system of gov that has a more than one seat open in a district, more representation across different candidates

redistricting

redrawing district boundaries

representation

who is considered/involved in government/politics based on who wins voted on offices

single-member district

district with only one office open, leads to 2 party system (must win by plurality)

descriptive v.s. substantive representation

who’s represented v.s. the ideas represented in lawmaking

plurality v.s. majority

plurality means the most, but if vote is split enough that could mean they have less than the majority

single-member vs proportional rep

single-member only has 1 seat open and leads to only 2 parties, proportional has more than 1 seats open and allows for multiple parties

decolonization

political and econ process of removing formal colonial governance by Global North countries of Global South countries; also refers to transformation in the informal and formal knowledge and education systems so that the formal colonial governing power is not merely replaced with neocolonial exercise of economic power

ethnocentric bias

biases based on our ethnic and cultural backgrounds

explanatory unit

the major relevant entity used to explain patterns of results

historically marginalized groups

groups whose interests, grievances, and voices risk being overlooked in politics as a result of historical and structural processes of marginalization

inequality regimes

a broad set of political practices, processes, actions, and meanings that reproduce power hierarchies and social inequalities in relation to social class, gender, race, ethnicity, age, etc

logic of appropriateness

logic of rules and how people should behave being natural, legitimate

methodological diversity

using diverse methods in comparative research

observational units

the major relevant entity used in data collection and analysis

political culture

sets of beliefs and values people have about politics that are related to how they think about politics, the political values they cherish, whether they believe politicians can be trusted, how they relate to the political system, and how they define and express their political indentites

unit of analysis

the major relevant entity under study

case study

compare a small number of units in depth

description

detailed, systematic cataloging of political institutions and phenomena

explanation

the why/when/where/under what circumstances are political events likely to occur

political institutions

set of rules (can be formal/informal) that make up the political game

prediction

using what we know of past events to predict future occurences

quantitative study

compare a large number of units to identify general trends

most similar systems

cases share similarities but have different outcomes

most different systems

cases are dissimilar but end up with similar outcomes

limitations in comparative politics

every country/political system is unique, lack of experimental control, challenges with finding data

bureaucracy

subsidiary of the executive, tasked with implementing and executing the laws of the state

cabinet

set of appointed officials (often referred to as secretaries or ministers) in a government who oversee specific policies such as healthcare, defense, etc.

coalition

a partnership between parties who agree to govern together because neither party has a majority on its own

competitive-authoritarianism

political regimes where democratic institutions are put in place but authoritarian political leaders consistently undermine these institutions to stay in power

elite networks

connections within the elite/upper class

executive

the branch of governments tasked with implementing and executing the laws and policies in a state

head of government

oversees the day-to-day functions of the government

head of state

the country’s symbolic representative

one-party rule

one party possesses overwhelming control over the political process; in general, other parties do exist, but they have limited power and are kept in check by the dominant party

parliamentary system

a government system where the head of government is chosen from the legislature by the ruling party and also serves as the head of state

president

the chief executive in a presidential democracy; serves as both the head of state and head of government

presidential system

a gov system where the head of government is chosen from the legislature by the ruling party and also serves as the head of state

prime minister

the chief executive in a parliamentary democracy; serves as head of state and typically is also head of the largest party in parliament

semi-presidential system

mix between pure parliamentary and pure presidential systems. the legislature elects the head of government and has the ability to remove the government from office, but there is also a popularly elected head of state

separation of powers

a system in which different branches of the government possess separate and independent powers, so no specific political institution has too much power (checks and balances) usually split into the 3 branches: legislative, executive, judiciary

vote of (no) confidence

constitutionally mandated authority to remove the government through a vote of the legislatur

civil service

civilian government employees, regular workers, stays in place between presidential administration

electoral college

how US prez is elected, 538 votes (435 House seats, 100 senate seats, 3 from DC from Amendment 23), states decide how electors are assigned, no rep for territories

red tape

excessive bureaucracy, normally used when describing how slow government is

spoils system

presidents letting their friends/supporters work in government positions, lots of turnover in bureaucratic jobs

bicameral legislature

legislature divided into 2 bodies like the US House and Senate

clientelist policies

affect specific constituency in exchange for support

constituency service

one of legislatures goals in representation, giving to their constituents

gatekeeping authority

committees’ power to block legislation from advancing

legislators

the people working in government who help create laws

legislature

general term for the legislative branch, runs government

negative agenda control

Speaker’s power to block legislation from being introduced

Unicameral legislature

legislature all under one house, like parliament

agenda setting

power of speak of the house, process where speaker determines which issues the legislature will hear

electoral cycle

governing, candidate emergence, primary election, general election

executive power

power to carry out/implement laws

federal system

national and regional governments each have powers outlined in constitution

fusion of powers

as in parliamentary system, executive and legislative power are fused bc the cabinet and PM are part of the legislative and responsible to it

issue ownership

judicial power

power to deem laws constitutional or not (interpreting laws)

legislative power

creating laws

limited government

principle that government power is bounded by constitutional rules and laws

median voter theorem

candidate most likely to get nominated is the one preferred by the median voter

nation

a group of people with a shared history and identity

nation-state

the idea that states should map onto nations

programmatic policy

affect large segments of the population

targeted policy

affect specific constituencies

prospective voting

asses what candidates say they will do and vote accordingly

retrospective voting

assess how the incumbent has done and vote accordingly

separation of powers

as in presidential system, executive and legislative powers are separate bc the cabinet and prez are not part of the legislative branch

speaker

chamber-wide leadership position that is highly desirable, most powerful in the house, agenda setting

state

an entity that is sovereign over a territory; requires recognition of other states

unitary system

regional units are subordinate to national legislature

voting bloc

group of voters strongly motivated by a common concern/concerns

3/5 clause

clause allowing southern states to count 3/5 of the enslaved population into their population count for representation in the legislature

appellate jurisdiction

when higher courts have the authority to hear the appeals from lower courts

caste system

rigid status hierarchy

civil law

legal system in which the law is a strongly constructed, detailed entity created by a legislature or other lawmaking political institution. Judges apply the law rather than interpreting it, most common legal system around the world

codified

arrangement of information in a logical order that others can follow, used in civil law systems

collegial politics

how judges interact with their colleagues

common law

a legal system in which the laws are less detailed and in which judges have considerable room for interpreting the law, most Anglo-American states have common law system

constitutional courts

in mnay states, these are the only courts that have the power of judicial review

constitutionalism

system where constitutions place limitations on gov power

illiberal

freedom restricting

judicial independence

the idea that courts shouldn’t be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government of from private or partisan interests