China and Federalism

Proportional representation

Election system in which the party appoints legislative members proportional to the election results.

Gender quotas

Requirements that a certain percentage of candidates or representatives placed in seats in proportional representation systems be women.

Single-member district, plurality system

Election system in which one candidate with the most votes wins the sole representative seat.

Executive election plurality system

Election system in which one candidate wins the election as the sole executive by winning the most votes.

Second round, runoff election system

Election system in which a candidate must win a majority of the vote in either the first or second round of balloting.

Majoritarian rules

Winning candidate must win a majority of the vote (50% + at least 1 vote).

Multi-party system

When elections feature more than two parties competing for governing power.

Two-party system

When elections feature two major parties competing for governing power.

Dominant party system

When elections allow multiple parties to run, but one major party inevitably wins governing power.

One party system

When only one party is allowed to control governing power even if other parties exist.

Catch-all political parties

Often the dominant party in a dominant party system that earns support from groups with different characteristics.

El dedazo

Metaphor from Mexico describing the nomination process of a new PRI candidate by the outgoing PRI president.

Patronage

Allows government officials to distribute jobs and services in return for voter loyalty.

Social movements

Large groups of people pushing collectively for significant political or social change.

Interest groups

Groups organized to represent and advocate for a specific interest or policy issue.

Grassroots social movements

Exert their power up from the local level to the regional, national, or international level.

Single peak associations (SPAs)

A type of interest group that commonly represents professional or commercial groups.

Block grants

Federal funds provided to state or local governments for broad purposes.

Categorical grants

Federal funds provided for a specific purpose with specific restrictions.

Devolution

The transfer of powers from the central government to local or regional governments.

Layer cake federalism

A clear distinction between the levels of government and their responsibilities.

Mandate

An official order or commission to do something.

Marble cake federalism

A model of federalism where the responsibilities of the levels of government are mixed.

Nullification

The act of canceling or making void a law or regulation.

Tenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment that reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states.

Unfunded mandates

Regulations or new laws that require state or local governments to perform certain actions without federal funding.

Welfare Reform Act of 1996

This act established the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in place of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program and tightened Medicaid eligibility requirements. This greatly reduced the width of welfare, and imposed strict employment requirements on the states.