Political Systems and Elections Review

Flashcards covering key political concepts, types of democracies, electoral systems, party systems, voting behaviors, institutional frameworks, and consequences of democratic institutions.

Direct Democracy

A form of democracy in which people decide on policy initiatives directly.

Representative Democracy

A type of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people.

Liberal Democracy

A form of representative democracy that emphasizes individual freedoms and rights.

Unanimity

Consensus that occurs when all participants agree.

Consensus

General agreement among various groups on fundamental matters.

Concurrent Majority

A majority that includes the support of all interest groups.

Absolute Majority

More than half of the total votes cast.

Simple Majority

The majority that is simply more than half of those voting.

Qualified Majority

A majority requirement that exceeds a simple majority.

Blocking Minority

A minority group that prevents action by a majority.

Weighted Majority

A voting system where some votes carry more weight than others.

Plurality

The largest group that supports a particular side in a vote.

Presidential Democracy

A system of government where a president is the head of state and government.

Semi-Presidential Democracy

A system of government with both a president and a prime minister.

Parliamentary Democracy

A system of government in which the party (or coalition) with the most seats in parliament forms the government.

Prime Minister

The head of an elected government; the principal minister.

Cabinet

A body of advisors to the president or head of state.

Ministerial Responsibility

The principle that ministers are responsible to the legislature.

Collective Cabinet Responsibility

The convention that all members of the cabinet must support government decisions.

Vote of No Confidence

A vote that can remove a government from power.

Caretaker Government

A government that oversees the administration of the state during the transition period.

Office-seeking Politician

A politician motivated primarily by the desire to hold office.

Policy-seeking Politician

A politician motivated primarily by the desire to enact policy goals.

Gamson’s Law

A principle of coalition formation which states that parties should get an allocation of powers that is proportional to their size.

Investiture Vote

A vote that confirms the legitimacy of a government or its proposals.

Single Party Majority Government

A government where one political party holds more than half the seats.

Single Party Minority Government

A government where one political party holds less than half but more seats than any other party.

Minimum Winning Coalition

A coalition that includes only the parties necessary to achieve a majority.

Least Minimum Winning Coalition

The coalition with the smallest number of parties that can still achieve a majority.

Connected Coalition

A coalition of parties that are ideologically linked.

Minority Government

A government where the ruling party has fewer seats than the combined opposition.

Surplus Majority Government

A government formed by more parties than is necessary to achieve a majority.

National Unity Government

A governing coalition that includes representatives from major political parties during a crisis.

Grand Coalition Government

A coalition formed by two or more political parties that usually do not cooperate to form a government.

President

The elected head of a republican state.

Presidential Decree

An order issued by the president of a state.

Cohabitation

A situation in a semi-presidential system where the president and the prime minister come from different political parties.

E-democracy

Electronic democracy that utilizes the internet to facilitate democratic processes.

Echo Chamber

An environment where a person encounters only information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own.

Sincere Voting

Voting for a candidate that a voter genuinely prefers.

Strategic Voting

Voting for a candidate not as a first choice, but to prevent another candidate from winning.

Split-ticket Voting

The act of voting for candidates from different political parties on the same ballot.

Straight-ticket Voting

The practice of voting for all candidates of one party on a ballot.

Retrospective Voting

Voting based on the past performance of a candidate or party.

Prospective Voting

Voting based on predictions of how candidates will perform in the future.

First Order Elections

Elections that are considered significant, such as presidential elections.

Second Order Elections

Elections that are viewed as less crucial, typically local or regional.

Referendum

A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.

Initiative

A method by which citizens can propose legislation or constitutional amendments.

Recall

A procedure that allows voters to remove an elected official from office.

Majoritarian System

An electoral system that awards seats to candidates with the most votes.

Single-Member District Plurality System (SMDP)

An electoral system in which one representative is elected from a district.

Single Nontransferable Vote (SNTV)

Voting system where a voter casts a single vote in a multi-member constituency.

Alternative Vote (AV)

A preferential voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference.

Majority-Runoff Two-Round System (TRS)

An electoral system where a runoff election is held if no candidate achieves a majority.

Proportional System

An electoral system that allocates seats based on the percentage of votes received.

District Magnitude

The number of representatives elected in a district.

Electoral Threshold

The minimum percentage of votes that a party must receive to gain seats.

Natural Threshold

The percentage of votes required that arises naturally due to the electoral system.

Formal Threshold

An explicitly stated minimum percentage of votes required to gain representation.

Closed Party List

A voting system where voters can only vote for a party, not individual candidates.

Open Party List

A system where voters can express preferences for individual candidates within a party.

Free Party List

Voting system that allows voters to select candidates from multiple parties.

Single Transferable Vote

A voting system that allows voters to rank candidates in multi-member districts.

Electoral Tier

A level in the electoral system that reflects a different stage of electoral representation.

Nonpartisan System

A political system where candidates are not officially affiliated with any political party.

Single-Party System

A political system in which only one political party is allowed to govern.

One-Party Dominant System

A political system where multiple parties exist, but one party controls political power significantly.

Two-Party System

A political system dominated by two major political parties.

Multiparty System

A political system where multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control.

Effective Number of Parties

A measure that considers both the number and the size of parties in a political system.

Effective Number of Electoral Parties

Refers to the number of parties that influence the electoral outcome.

Effective Number of Legislative Parties

The count of parties participating in legislative decision-making.

Political Parties

Organized groups that seek to gain political power.

Party Identification

An individual’s psychological attachment to a political party.

Whip

A member of a political party who ensures party discipline in votes.

Pre-Industrial Cleavages

Social divisions that existed before the industrial era, often based on agrarian society.

Industrial/Post-Industrial Cleavages

Divisions based on class and economic factors arising from industrialization.

Cross-cutting Cleavages

Divisions that intersect within society, preventing one group from dominating.

Reinforcing Cleavages

Cleavages that align with and intensify social divisions.

Mechanical Effect of Electoral Laws

The impact of electoral laws on election outcomes.

Strategic Effect of Electoral Laws

The consequences of electoral laws that influence party behavior.

Strategic Entry

The decision-making process regarding when and how parties enter elections.

Duverger’s Law

The principle that single-member district systems favor a two-party system.

Duverger’s Hypothesis

The prediction that proportional representation leads to multiparty systems.

Political Participation

The ways in which citizens engage with politics and governance.

Conventional Participation

Standard forms of political participation such as voting and campaigning.

Unconventional Participation

Non-standard forms of political participation such as protests.

Paradox of Participation

The explanation for why individuals vote despite the low likelihood their vote will affect the outcome.

Partisan Dealignment

The weakening of the ties between voters and political parties.

Disillusionment

A feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed.

Policy Congruence

The extent to which policy outcomes align with the preferences of the electorate.

Compulsory Voting

Laws requiring eligible citizens to vote.

Public Opinion

The collective preferences and attitudes of citizens on political issues.

Opinion Poll

Surveys conducted to gauge public opinion.

Sample Survey

A survey that represents a portion of the population.

Focus Group

A small group of people discussing a particular topic or issue as guided by a moderator.

Deliberative Opinion Poll

A variation of traditional polls that includes deliberation among participants.

Veto Player

An individual or group that has the ability to prevent a change in policy.

Institutional Veto Player

Veto players that originate from the formal institutions of a government.