Week 6 quiz with topic 7 30/4

They argue that democracies are best understood by classifying them into three institutional "ideal types":

Presidential

Parliamentary

Semi-presidential

Why is it useful?

This classification is useful because it lets us compare countries systematically instead of treating every democracy as unique.

Each system has ...

advantages and disadvantages

There is no optimal

constitutional design for all countries

What works depends on

historical and social context

Presidential system =

strong, independent executive

Parliamentary systems =

dependent executive (on legislature)

Institutional design shapes political behaviour and ...

stability

accountability

conflict between branches

Presidentialism →

separation of powers

Parliamentarism →

fusion of powers

Parliamentary systems often

work better in consensus-oriented societies

Presidential systems can fit

large, diverse, or federal states, but may risk deadlock

Schedler's main claim is:

Modern authoritarianism often survives not by eliminating elections, but by manipulating them.

So instead of "democracy vs dictatorship,"

he shows a grey zone of electoral manipulation.

1. Democracy is a

chain of conditions, not just voting

Elections only count as democratic if

all links work together.

What are the election links?

choice must exist

voters must be informed

participation must be free

votes must count equally

Break one link →

democracy fails

Authoritarian regimes adapt rather than

abolish elections

What do Modern regimes often keep elections

but manipulate: "Electoral authoritarianism" logic

opposition access

media

electoral rules

vote counting

3. Manipulation can happen

at every stage, not just voting day.

When can manipulations happen?

before elections (candidate exclusion)

during campaigns (media bias)

after elections (fraud, weak accountability)

Democracy is minimum conditions,

not just outcomes

it's not enough that elections exist, they must

meet procedural standards across the whole chain

What structure produces what kind of executive power?

Presidential

Parliamentary

Semi-presidential

Is democracy a full chain or just elections?

It is a complete chain of conditions

Democracies differ based on

how executive power is structured

🇺🇸 Presidential system

President = directly elected

Fixed term in office

Separation of powers (executive ≠ legislature)

No need for parliamentary confidence

Key risk of 🇺🇸 Presidential system:

deadlock between branches

🇬🇧 Parliamentary system

PM comes from legislature

Executive depends on confidence of parliament

Fusion of powers (executive + legislature linked)

Key risk 🇬🇧 Parliamentary system:

government can fall via no-confidence vote

Semi-presidential system

President + Prime Minister / Shares executive power

Presidential System (separation)

Parliamentary System (fusion)

government in which the executive is chosen by the legislature from among its members and the two branches are merged

If one link breaks →

election is NOT democratic all steps work together.

The chain (simplified meaning)

Empowerment → citizens have political power

Choice → real alternatives exist

Information → voters can understand options

Inclusion → everyone eligible can vote

Expression → voters can vote freely

Aggregation → votes counted fairly

Consequences → election results matter

Modern authoritarian regimes often:

keep elections but manipulate one or more links in the chain