AP Comparative Government Unit 4 Notes: How Parties, Elections, and Rules Shape Political Power

Political party

An organized group that seeks to gain and maintain power in government by running candidates for office, coordinating campaigns, and advancing a set of policy goals (a platform).

Interest group

An organization that tries to influence public policy but does not usually run candidates for office under its own label.

Social movement

Broad, often less formal collective action (e.g., mass protests) aimed at social or political change.

Linkage institution

An institution (such as political parties) that connects citizens to the government by translating public preferences into governing decisions.

Recruit and nominate candidates

A core party function in which parties select who receives the party label, often determining which candidates are viable.

Organize government

A party function in which parties structure legislative voting blocs, leadership roles, and committee assignments.

Informational shortcut (party label)

The idea that party identity helps voters infer priorities without knowing every policy detail, simplifying voter choice.

Mobilize participation

A party function involving encouraging turnout, rallying supporters, and building campaign networks.

Build coalitions

A party function—especially in multiparty systems—in which parties negotiate to form governing alliances.

Clientelism

Politics based on exchanging targeted material benefits (cash, jobs, services) for political support rather than programmatic policy competition.

Party discipline

The extent to which elected members vote with their party; often stronger when party leaders control candidate placement (e.g., closed-list PR).

Party institutionalization

The degree to which parties are stable over time with routinized rules and predictable patterns rather than being fragile or personalistic.

Party system

The overall pattern of party competition in a country, including how many significant parties matter and how power is distributed/alternates.

One-party system

A party system in which only one party legally governs and opposition is banned or politically meaningless.

Dominant-party system

A system where multiple parties may exist and compete, but one party wins consistently over long periods due to advantages like resources, rules, or unfairness.

Two-party system

A party system where two major parties dominate and smaller parties rarely win national power.

Multiparty system

A system in which several parties are politically important and coalition governments are common.

Competitive authoritarianism

A regime type where elections and opposition exist, but competition is skewed by unfair advantages (e.g., media control, harassment, biased administration).

Electoral system

The rules that convert votes into political power (such as seats in a legislature or victory in an executive election).

Single-member district plurality (SMDP) / First-past-the-post (FPTP)

A district-based plurality system with one representative per district; the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority.

Runoff (two-round election)

A majoritarian election rule in which, if no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first round, top candidates compete in a second round.

Proportional representation (PR)

An electoral system that allocates legislative seats so parties’ seat shares more closely match their vote shares, often using multi-member districts and party lists.

District magnitude

The number of seats elected per district; higher district magnitude generally increases proportionality and helps smaller parties win seats.

Legal threshold

The minimum vote share a party must win to gain representation in a PR system, reducing fragmentation but potentially excluding small/minority viewpoints.

Strategic voting

Voting for a less-preferred viable candidate/party to prevent an even less-preferred outcome, especially common in FPTP systems where small parties struggle to win districts.