POLS 229 Reading

Head of State

The "first citizen" who sits above the three branches of government, either a traditional monarch or a president of the republic.

President

An office where the roles of chief executive and head of state are combined.

Prime Minister

The chief executive in a parliamentary system, responsible for hiring and firing a cabinet of senior politicians.

Presidential Government

A system where the chief executive is chosen through direct elections and is responsible to the people.

Parliamentary Government

A system where the legislature chooses and can dismiss the chief executive without a popular election.

Motion of No Confidence

A parliamentary procedure allowing the elected lower house to dismiss the government at any time.

Formateur

A politician appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government after an election or government collapse.

Office-Seeking Politicians

Politicians primarily interested in the benefits of holding office.

Policy-Seeking Politicians

Politicians focused on influencing public policy according to their preferences.

Minimum Winning Coalition

The smallest number of parties needed to maintain a legislative majority in a parliamentary system.

Proportionality Norm

A principle for allocating cabinet positions based on the share of legislative seats held by government parties.

Political Communication

The study of interactions among politicians, media, and citizens, and their impact on democracy.

Major Sources of News Info

Television, the internet, and social media, primarily accessed via mobile devices.

Journalistic Cultures

Four types include Monitors, Advocates, Agents of Development, and Collaborative Partners, each with different relationships to politics.

Public Service Media (PSM)

State-owned broadcasters focused on informing, educating, and entertaining, less dependent on advertising.

State Media

State-owned broadcasters targeting foreign audiences to promote the government's image.

Social Media Platforms

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram that facilitate public communication and information exchange.

Messaging Apps

Private communication tools like WhatsApp and Telegram for closer networks.

Micro-Targeting Tool

A method like A/B testing used to deliver specific messages to targeted users based on individual characteristics.

Criticisms of Early Democracy Definition

Thinness, potential for incumbents to remain indefinitely, and lack of accountability mechanisms.

Dahl’s Criteria for Democracy

Contestation (who can compete for office) and Participation (inclusiveness of the voting process).

Polyarchy

A government form with high levels of contestation and participation.

Inclusive Hegemonies

Regimes allowing broad voting but controlling who can run for office.

Closed Hegemonies

Regimes that are neither inclusive nor contestable, like North Korea.

Anocracies

Mixed authority regimes between autocracies and democracies.

VDem Indexes of Democracy

Five indexes measuring electoral democracy, liberalism, participation, deliberation, and egalitarianism.

Types of Parties

Elite, Mass, Catch-all, Electoral-professional, Cartel, Business firm, and Social movement parties.

Parties’ Three Faces

Party on the ground, Party in central office, and Party in public office.

Reasons for Joining Parties

Material motivations, sense of solidarity, and purposive incentives.

Party Ideology Dimensions

Left-right economic scale and values scale contrasting conservative and liberal views.

Populist Parties

Focus on anti-corruption, celebrity, and representing "the people" against the elite.

Types of Party Systems

Multi-party systems, Dominant party systems, and Party system institutionalization.

Path Dependency

Processes where early decisions set a path that is hard to change, benefiting incumbents.

Clientelism

A transactional relationship between voters and parties, offering favors for support.

Challenger Parties

Parties that have not yet held power, often populist in nature.

Electoral Volatility

The degree of change in voting behavior between elections.

Anti-System Parties

Parties that emerge from citizen disengagement, potentially disrupting or reinforcing democracy.