Global Politics Exam 2

Waves of Democracy: Social Movements and Political Change

John Markoff

John Markoff

Waves of Democracy: Social Movements and Political Change

The End of Transition Paradigms.

Thomas Carothers

Thomas Carothers

The End of Transition Paradigms.

Introducing Comparative Politics: Governing Institutions In Democracies

Orvis and Drogus, Ch5

Orvis and Drogus, Ch5

Introducing Comparative Politics: Governing Institutions In Democracies

Introducing Comparative Politics. “Governing Institutions

in Democracies

Orvis and Drogus, Ch. 5

Orvis and Drogus, Ch. 5

Introducing Comparative Politics. “Governing Institutions

in Democracies

The New Future for Mexico and its Judicial System

Cater Cleveland

Cater Cleveland

The New Future for Mexico and its Judicial System

Introducing Comparative Politics: Institutions of participation and representation in democracies

Orvis and Drogus, Ch6

Orvis and Drogus, Ch6

Introducing Comparative Politics: Institutions of participation and representation in democracies

Mobilizing the Underrepresented

O Skorge

O Skorge

Mobilizing the Underrepresented

Orvis & Drogus. ch12

Public policies when markets fail,”

Public policies when markets fail,”

Orvis & Drogus. CH12

The Nordic Welfare Model

Mary Hilson

Mary Hilson

The Nordic Welfare Model

Introducing Comparative Politics: Authoritarian Institutions-

“Orvis and Drogus Ch. 8

“Orvis and Drogus Ch. 8

Introducing Comparative Politics “Authoritarian Institutions-

Human rights and military abuses

Anthony Pereira

Competitive Authoritarianism

Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way

Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way

Competitive Authoritarianism

Democratic Regression in Comparative Perspective

Larry Diamond

Larry Diamond

Democratic Regression in Comparative Perspective

How Democracies Die

Sheri Berman

Sheri Berman

How Democracies Die

Mediatization, neoliberalism, and populisms

Daniel Hallin

Daniel Hallin

Mediatization, neoliberalism, and populisms

Social Identities and Culture

Strauss and Driscoll

The Perils of Populism

Tobias and Stern

Tobias and Stern

The Perils of Populism

What is Nativist

Uri Friedmen

Uri Friedmen

What is Nativist

Does Race Natter in Latin America

Deborah Yashar

Deborah Yashar

Does Race Matter in Latin America

Becoming Black Political Subjects

Tinna Pashel

Tinna Pashel

Becoming Black Political Subjects

Democracies take place in …

Wave

First Wave

1828-1926: from American French Revolution, US extended right to vote to a large portion of white males

Second Wave

1943-1962: fascist countries and those that decolonized turned democratic

third wave

70’s to 90’s end of the dictatorship and returned to civil parties.

5 core assumptions of the transition paradigm

1. Any country moving away from dictatorship can be considered a country moving towards democratization. 

2. Democratization unfolds in a set of sequences of states

3. Elections elect democracies 

4. underlying structural conditions will not be major factors in either the onsit or the outcome of the transition. New democracies are being built on coherent functional states. State building and democracy buildon process. 

5. New democracies are being built on coherent functional states. State-building and democracy building would be mutually reinforcing. 

How do you explain democratization 

Outside in approaches

How do you explain democratization 

Inside-out approches

Outside-In Approaches

1. Democracy Promotion (of the rich)

2. Demonstration effect (of Diffusion) 

Inside-Out Approaches

1. Domestic forces

2. Social Movements

Why do some democratic transitions succeed

• economic growth, average income levels, and democratic consolidation

• Strong middle class

• less unequal societies

• strong civil society

• Religious or ethic diversity might hinder democratic consolidation

Why study institution of democracies

1. Political accountability

2. How much majority power

3. Trade off between popular participation and representation of viewpoints

Majoritarian Democracies

Greater Vertical Accountability

• Power is concentrated

• Single-part Executive

• Executive dominance over the legislature

• A single legislative branch can easily amend the constitutions

Consensus Democracies 

Greater Horizontal Accountability

• Power and decision-making are more dispersed

• Multiparties executive

• Executive Legislative Balance

• Bicameral Legislatures

• Hard to amend constitutions

Veto player

a individual or collective actor whose agreement is essential to effect policy change

Judiciary

enforces and interprets the state law

Judicial review

The authority, vested in unelected judges, to decide whether a specific law contradicts a country’s constitution. 

• Makes a [potentially powerful VETO player

• Power depends on the country

Why does judicial review matter

• Judical independence

• Legitimacy

• Institutional strengths

Common Law

Decisions made on laws and past court cases

• Decentralized judicial review (can do all kinds of cases)

• concrete judicial review (effected to sue)

Code Law

A judge only follows written laws (little interpretation)

• centralized judicial review (court-specific)

Mexicos recent judicial form

Judiciary as a veto player, and political players increase use of the judical system as a “veto point”

Federalist

central government shard constitutional sovereignty and power with subunits

Unitary system

The central government has sole constitutional sovereignty and power

why adopt federal system

• Provide a level of governance closer to the populace

• Limit the power of the majority

• Bicameral legislatures, 2nd house representing the interests of the states

• Mean to protect the interests of religious of ethnic minorities.

2 modules of federalism

Symmetrical and Asymmetrical

Symmetrical federalism

all states have the dame relationship and rights in relation to the national government

Asymmetrical Federal Systems

many federal systems in a ethically divided society

How does the federal government limit majority power

relative power and autonomy of the national and subnational governments

need power depending on resources and bargaining units

Electoral system

formal legal mechanisms that translate votes into control over political offices and power

SMD

Single member districts

PR

Proportional representation

SMD

The state territory is divided into geographical units, each elects one or more representatives

PR

Representatives are chosen from national or large electoral districts with multiple representatives

Pluralist System

Whoever gets the most votes wins, even if they don't have a majority

Majoritarian system

The winner must have a majority Vote

Closed list proportional representation

The party presents a list of candidates, voters see a list of “top” candidates, but vote for the party

Open-List Proportional Representation

Voters are presented with a list of candidates and vote for the candidates of their choice.

Mixes/Semi-proportional systems

Combined single-member district with overall proportionality

Political parties:

associations that seek formal government control

Party system:

1. Dominant party system: Multiple parties, but one wins every election

2. Two-party System: two parties

3. Multiparty System multiple parties. 

Social policy:

seeks to reduce poverty and income inequality and stabilize individual or family income

Types of social policy

1. Universal Entitlments

2. Social Insurance

3. Means-Tested Public Assistance

4. Tax Expenditures

Esping-Anderson’s typology of welfare states

liberal, Concentrative (Christian Democratic), Social Democratic

Global trends in authoritarianism

• authoritarian regimes declined from about 75% of all countries in the world in the 1970s to about 40% by 2008, 

• but they have increased somewhat in the last decade 

Dictators Dilemma

• acks accurate information on how much political support they actually have.

  • co-opt potential opposition and to try to build their legitimacy through various strategies, including elections and political parties.

    • Need Repression, Co-optation, and effort at legitimation

Military Regimes in South America

“Authoritarian regimes in which the military as an organization holds a preponderance of power.”

Competitive authoritarianism

• Civilian regimes are the primary means of gaining power; incumbents' abuse of state. 

• Opposition parties use democratic institutions to contest seriously for power. 

Full Authoritarianism

No viable channels exist for opposition to contest legally for executive power.

POPULISM

divides society into two groups: "the pure people" and "the corrupt elite"

Populist Mobilization

Appealing to citizens directly and threatening established institutions.

Who is a populist

• Not sufficient to JUST be critical of elites

• Populists are anti-pluralist

• They and they alone can represent the people

What explains democratic regression in the 21st century?

• Incremental strangulation of democracy by elected executives who gradually eviscerate institutional checks, political oppositions, independent media, and other forces of scrutiny and resistance in civil society. 

• steady erosion of political norms (Levitsky and Zibalt)

4 global socio-economic trends of democratic regression

• Rise of the internet and social media

• Growth in income inequality

• Acceleration of globalization

• Neoliberal policies,

The political salience of identities

Identities matter more than others for politics. 

• Sticky matter more

• Visible is particularly powerful

• Symbolic and emotional power are the ones that exercise the strongest pull

• National, ethnic, religious, gender and class identities tend to be the most politically salient, though their relative importance varies in time and space.

Primordial identities

• people’s identities are perceived to be “natural,” “god given,” and or biological. 

  • Groups are fixed, natural, and pre-political

identities as social constructions

• Discourses, culture, storytelling, symbols, and social relations are crucial for the construction of identities, are learning about who “we” are.

Ethnic/Cultural nationalism

• national unity based on common cultural heritage

  • Jus Sanguinis: descent rather than residence

Jus Sanguinis:

descent rather than residence

Civic/political nationalism

• A sense of national unity and purpose is based on a set of commonly held political beliefs

  • Jus Soli: residence on the state’s “soil”

• Jus Soli

residence on the state’s “soil

Nativism and right-wing populism

• NATIVIST “xenophobic nationalism” (Mudde)

  • Congruence of state and nation

  • One state for every nation

  • Non-natives are THREATS

• NATIVISM “major-ethnic nationalism” (Kaufmann)

  • Boundary-based nationalism

Multicultural citizenship regimes as a “post-liberal challenge.”

Multicultural models of citizenship do not assume a culturally homogeneous population and establish differentiated rights for certain Populations

Paschel on the politicization of blackness in Brazil and Colombia

• I argue that in both cases they do so in the face of pressure from black social movement organizations.”I argue that in both cases they do so in the face of pressure from black social movement organizations.”