Key Concepts in Comparative Politics: Governments, Electoral Systems, and Representation

Caretaker government

A temporary, non-elected government that runs basic day-to-day affairs between an election and the formation of a new government.

Civil service system

Rules and laws that govern how public employees are hired, kept, and promoted.

Clientelism

Giving targeted goods or services in exchange for individual political support.

Cohabitation

When a president and prime minister come from different parties because the president's party lacks a legislative majority.

Constituency service

Help provided by elected officials to people in their district to deal with government problems or bureaucracy.

Core voters

Voters who are strongly loyal to a specific party or ideology.

Decentralization

When policymaking power is shared with or shifted to regional or local governments.

Delegation

When a principal gives authority to an agent to act on their behalf.

Descriptive representation

When representatives physically or socially resemble their constituents.

District magnitude

The number of seats elected in a single electoral district.

Duverger's Law

Single-member, plurality elections tend to produce two-party systems.

Effective Number of Parties

A measure of how many parties matter, based on both their number and size.

Electoral formula

The rule that converts votes into seats.

Electoral threshold

The minimum percentage of votes a party needs to win seats.

Electoral system

The set of rules that determine how elections are run and how winners are chosen.

Federalism

A system where power is divided between central and regional governments, each with final authority in some areas.

Insurgency

Armed challenges to the state, often using guerrilla warfare.

Least minimal winning coalition

A minimum winning coalition with the smallest possible surplus of seats.

Legislative responsibility

The duty of a legislature to make laws, control spending, and represent citizens.

Majoritarian system

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins.

Mixed electoral system

A system combining majoritarian and proportional representation elections.

Parliamentary democracy

A system where the government depends on legislative support and the head of state is not directly elected.

Party discipline

The degree to which party members vote and act together as a unified group.

Party platform

A party's set of policy goals presented to voters.

Patronage system

When politicians reward supporters with government jobs.

Personal vote

Voting based on a candidate's personal qualities rather than party affiliation.

Political cleavage

A long-lasting link between a social division and political parties.

Presidential democracy

A system where the executive does not depend on the legislature to stay in power.

Primary election

An election used by parties to choose their candidates for the general election.

Principal-agent problem

When an agent's interests differ from the principal's and the agent can't be fully monitored.

Proportionality

How closely the share of seats matches the share of votes.

Semi-presidential democracy

A system with a directly elected president and a government that depends on legislative support.

Strategic voting

Voting for a candidate that has a higher likelihood of wining in the election outcome.

Substantive representation

When representatives act in line with their constituents' interests.

Symbolic representation

The meaning or sense of belonging created when representatives 'stand for' constituents.

Vote of no confidence

A legislative vote to remove a government from office.