Comparative Politics CH2

Liberal or Full Democracy

the citizenry, inclusively defined hold their officials accountable via free, fair, and frequent (FFF) elections (that no outsider or insider can “undo” or subvert/violence & threats are not part of the process); rule of law prevails, human rights are guaranteed to all and are not subject to interference by the state or other citizens

Presidential System vs Parliamentary

Term	Presidential System	Parliamentary System
Power is…	Separated between the executive and legislature. The president has executive power, while the legislature makes laws.	Fused/shared between the executive and legislature. The executive usually comes from the legislature.
How executive is chosen	The president is elected separately from the legislature, either directly by voters or through an electoral system.	The prime minister is chosen from the legislature, usually as the leader of the majority party or coalition.
Members of the Cabinet	The president chooses cabinet members. They are generally not members of the legislature and serve at the president’s direction.	The prime minister chooses cabinet members, who are usually members of the legislature and often come from the majority party/coalition.
Cabinet responsibility	Cabinet members are responsible to the president, who can generally remove them.	The cabinet is collectively responsible to the legislature and must maintain its confidence/support to remain in power.

Coalition Government

A government where two or more political parties work together to form a government, usually because no single party has enough seats to govern alone.

Vote of No Confidence

A vote in which the legislature says it no longer supports the government/prime minister. If it passes, the government may have to resign or call a new election.

Mixed or Semi-Presidential System

A system with both a president and a prime minister. Power is shared between them.

PR with Threshold

A proportional representation system where parties get seats based on their share of the vote, but they must reach a minimum percentage of votes (threshold) to receive seats.

Majoritarian (Electoral) System

An electoral system designed to make sure the winner gets a majority (more than 50%) of the vote, often through a second round/runoff.

Federalism

A system where power is divided between a national government and state/regional governments.

Populism

A political approach that claims to represent ordinary people against a powerful political or economic elite.

Capitalism

An economic system where individuals and businesses can privately own property and businesses, and prices are largely determined by supply and demand.

Plurality

MORE votes than anyone else, but not necessarily over 50%

Majority

MORE THAN 50% of the votes.