Untitled Flashcards Set

Here are the flashcards based on your provided questions and answers:

Flashcard 1
Q: If the government needs the support of a majority of members of the legislature to remain in office, what type of democracy is it?
A: Semi-presidential or parliamentary

Flashcard 2
Q: In Senegal, where the government is responsible to the legislature and the president is directly elected, what type of democracy is it?
A: Semi-presidential

Flashcard 3
Q: Based on the heads of state of Japan and Bhutan being monarchs in democratic countries, what type of democracy do they have?
A: Parliamentary

Flashcard 4
Q: Georgia is transitioning to a system where the presidency will be indirectly elected and the government is responsible to the legislature. What system is this?
A: Parliamentary

Flashcard 5
Q: In Germany 2002, if the Christian Democratic Party and Free Democratic Party formed a government, what type would it be?
A: Minimal winning coalition

Flashcard 6
Q: In Germany 2002, if the Social Democratic Party and the Greens formed a government, what type would it be?
A: Minimal winning coalition

Flashcard 7
Q: Based on Indonesia’s 2024 legislative election, if it were a parliamentary democracy, which party would likely provide the formateur?
A: PDI-P

Flashcard 8
Q: In Indonesia's 2024 elections, Gerindra’s Prabowo Subianto was elected president. In this presidential system, which party would likely provide the formateur?
A: Gerindra

Flashcard 9
Q: Can minority governments only occur in presidential democracies?
A: False

Flashcard 10
Q: Which procedures are proposed by members of the legislature?
A: Vote of no confidence, Constructive vote of no confidence

Flashcard 11
Q: In a coalition of 120 Social Democratic seats and 30 Green seats, what share of ministerial posts should the Social Democratic party get per Gamson’s Law?
A: 80%

Flashcard 12
Q: An independent agency investigating corruption by officials helps solve what kind of delegation problem?
A: Moral hazard

Flashcard 1
Q: Do all majoritarian electoral systems require a candidate or party to win a majority of the votes to win a seat?
A: False

Flashcard 2
Q: How many candidates are elected in a single-member district?
A: 1

Flashcard 3
Q: Do all proportional representation (PR) systems use multi-member districts?
A: True

Flashcard 4
Q: In list-PR systems, which kind of list allows voters to express a preference for specific candidates?
A: Open lists

Flashcard 5
Q: Are electoral systems more proportional when the district magnitude is small?
A: False

Flashcard 6
Q: What kind of mixed electoral system is more proportional?
A: Dependent mixed system

Flashcard 7
Q: In which type of list system is party discipline higher?
A: Closed Lists

Flashcard 8
Q: In a dependent mixed electoral system, how many votes do voters typically have?
A: One vote used for both electoral tiers

Flashcard 9
Q: In an independent mixed electoral system, how are votes typically used?
A: Votes count separately for each tier

Flashcard 10
Q: District magnitude refers to what?
A: The number of candidates elected in a district

Flashcard 11
Q: What is the most important factor influencing the proportionality of an electoral system?
A: The district magnitude

Here’s the simplified study guide for the second set of questions you provided, summarizing the key concept tested and the correct answer:

Ch. 13 Study Guide – Comparative Politics

1. Affective polarization:

   • Concept: Emotional dislike for out-party members regardless of policy.

   • Correct Answer: People like their copartisans and dislike others for non-policy reasons.

2. Political experience in government systems:

   • Concept: Parliamentary vs. presidential systems.

   • Correct Answer: Canada (parliamentary system leaders tend to have more experience and party influence).

3. Party system formation theory:

   • Concept: Origins of party systems.

   • Correct Answer: Primordial (based on social cleavages).

4. Elite control of working-class parties:

   • Concept: Party organization and hierarchy.

   • Correct Answer: Michel’s iron law of oligarchy.

5. Ideological placement of populist parties:

   • Concept: Populism's ideological flexibility.

   • Correct Answer: True (they can exist on any part of the spectrum).

6. Populist parties and inclusion:

   • Concept: Definitions of “the people.”

   • Correct Answer: False (not always exclusionary).

7. Small parties in majoritarian systems:

   • Concept: Electoral geography.

   • Correct Answer: When their supporters are geographically concentrated.

8. Conditions for many parties:

   • Concept: Duverger’s theory.

   • Correct Answer: Many social divisions + permissive electoral system.

9. Effect of PR in U.S.:

   • Concept: Electoral system change and party number.

   • Correct Answer: The number of parties would increase.

10. SMDP and party number:

• Concept: Factors encouraging two-party systems.

• Correct Answers:

  • The country has centralized political power at the national level.

  • The country has centralized economic power at the national level.

11. Multi-dimensional issue space party strategy:

• Correct Answers:

  • Emphasize popular issues.

  • De-emphasize divisive issues.

  • Emphasize issues where competence is high.

12. Geert Wilders and PVV:

• Concept: New parties reshaping competition.

• Correct Answer: Challenger party.

13. Voting based on flood response (Spain):

• Concept: Performance-based (valence) voting.

• Correct Answer: Valence issues.

14. Flooding and pro-climate voting (Denmark):

• Concept: Issue-based voting.

• Correct Answer: Policy issues.

15. Vote buying example:

• Concept: Types of parties.

• Correct Answer: Clientelist parties.

16. Clientelism more likely in:

• Correct Answer: Countries with small winning coalitions.

17. Cleavages in Country A (visual):

• Correct Answer: Cross-cutting. ❌

18. Cleavages in Country B (visual):

• Correct Answer: Reinforcing. ❌

19. More politicized identity groups:

• Correct Answer: Country B.

20. District-level parties in Country 1 (map):

• Correct Answer: 2.

21. National-level parties in Country 1:

• Correct Answer: 2.

22. District-level parties in Country 2:

• Correct Answer: 4.

23. National-level parties in Country 2:

• Correct Answer: 4.

24. More nationalized party system:

• Correct Answer: Country 2.

25. Minimal winning coalitions (L.A. map):

• Correct Answer: English-speaking, Latino. ❌

26. Most likely identity to be politicized:

• Correct Answer: English-speaking. ❌

27. Vote-seat conversion:

• Correct Answer: The mechanical effect of electoral systems.

Here are your flashcards with added explanations for each answer:

Flashcard 1:

• Question: What dimension of federalism is characterized by a shift to a higher proportion of national government spending compared to state or local spending?

• Answer: Federalism in practice.

  • Explanation: Federalism in practice refers to the actual distribution of power and responsibilities in a federation, which includes how government spending is divided between the national and subnational levels. A shift toward more national spending reflects a change in the practical functioning of federalism, not just its structural design.

Flashcard 2:

• Question: Is Bosnia and Herzegovina's federalism congruent or incongruent?

• Answer: Incongruent.

  • Explanation: Incongruent federalism occurs when the distribution of subnational units does not align with the demographic or ethnic composition of the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina's federal system is considered incongruent because the entities within it (like the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska) do not represent distinct, congruent ethnic or regional groups.

Flashcard 3:

• Question: In federal countries, the central government’s share of tax revenue is typically high, but in unitary ones, it is low. True or False?

• Answer: True.

  • Explanation: In federal countries, central governments often rely on a larger share of tax revenue to manage national responsibilities, while in unitary systems, most taxation and revenue are controlled by regional or local governments, leading to a lower share for the central government.

Flashcard 4:

• Question: According to the description of the French legislative process, is French bicameralism symmetric or asymmetric?

• Answer: Asymmetric.

  • Explanation: French bicameralism is asymmetric because the two chambers, the National Assembly and the Senate, have different levels of power. The National Assembly has more influence, and the Senate’s role is more limited, particularly in terms of its ability to block legislation.

Flashcard 5:

• Question: According to Ezrow et al. (2023), governments are more responsive to public opinion when bicameralism is:

• Answer: Asymmetric.

  • Explanation: The authors argue that asymmetric bicameralism (where one chamber has more power than the other) allows for more responsive government action because the dominant chamber can more easily implement policies that reflect shifts in public opinion, unlike in symmetric systems where power is more evenly divided.

Flashcard 6:

• Question: Based on the Irish Senate election system, is Irish bicameralism congruent or incongruent?

• Answer: Congruent.

  • Explanation: Irish bicameralism is congruent because both the Dáil (lower house) and the Seanad (upper house) broadly reflect similar demographic interests, with the Senate being composed of members from sectors of society that align with the interests of the Irish public.

Flashcard 7:

• Question: Would you be more likely to be successful in a country with an entrenched constitution or an unentrenched one?

• Answer: An unentrenched constitution.

  • Explanation: An unentrenched constitution is easier to amend because it does not require special procedures or supermajorities. This makes constitutional change more accessible compared to an entrenched constitution, which is harder to alter.

Flashcard 8:

• Question: Under what conditions can legislative supremacy constitutions be amended?

• Answer: Either amendments require the approval of a legislative supermajority, a majority of voters in a referendum, or legislators can amend the constitution the same way they pass ordinary legislation.

  • Explanation: Legislative supremacy constitutions allow for amendments by the legislature, but the specific conditions (supermajority, referendum, or ordinary legislation) vary depending on the country’s system.

Flashcard 9:

• Question: Constitutional review is impossible in countries with legislative supremacy constitutions. True or False?

• Answer: False.

  • Explanation: While legislative supremacy may limit judicial review, it does not make it impossible. In some countries, courts can still review laws or government actions even if the legislature has significant power over the constitution.

Flashcard 10:

• Question: Evidence that constitutional judges are more likely to publicize decisions when they match current public opinion and appear nonpolitical aligns with which model of judicial decision-making?

• Answer: The strategic model.

  • Explanation: The strategic model suggests that judges make decisions based on their preferences and the political context, including public opinion. If their decisions align with the public, they are more likely to publicize them to avoid backlash and ensure their rulings are seen as legitimate.

Flashcard 11:

• Question: In a bicameral legislature, if the upper chamber is the agenda setter, where will policy end up?

• Answer: 5.

  • Explanation: In a scenario with veto players, the agenda setter can influence the policy outcome. Since the upper chamber is the agenda setter, the final policy will likely end up closer to their ideal point, which in this case is 5.

Flashcard 12:

• Question: In a bicameral legislature, if the lower chamber is the agenda setter, where will policy end up?

• Answer: 6.

  • Explanation: If the lower chamber sets the agenda, the policy will likely end up closer to their ideal point, which is 6 in this case.

Flashcard 13:

• Question: In a regulatory agency scenario, where would L set policy if they get to freely amend a proposal from LC?

• Answer: 3.

  • Explanation: L, the median voter in the legislature, prefers a policy closer to 3. If L has the power to amend the proposal, they will choose the policy closest to their ideal point, which is 3.

Flashcard 14:

• Question: Where would LC initiate legislation to change the Agency’s policy?

• Answer: Whenever A initiates policy within the range 3-5.

  • Explanation: LC would initiate legislation when Agency (A)’s policy falls within a range where LC prefers a different outcome. In this case, LC would push for a change if the policy falls between 3 and 5.

Flashcard 15:

• Question: Where would A implement policy to avoid being overturned and as close as possible to A’s ideal point in the legislative scenario?

• Answer: 5.

  • Explanation: A’s ideal policy is 7, but to avoid being overturned by LC or L, A would need to set policy at a point where both the legislative committee and the legislature are less likely to overturn it, which is 5 in this case.

Flashcard 16:

• Question: If the Court (C) strikes down A’s policy and policy reverts to the status quo, where would policy end up after LC initiates legislation and L amends it?

• Answer: 3.

  • Explanation: If the court strikes down A’s policy, LC would initiate legislation within its range, and L would amend it to their ideal policy, which is 3.

Flashcard 17:

• Question: If the Agency policy is set at 7, will the Court (C) strike it down?

• Answer: No.

  • Explanation: The Court (C) would only strike down A’s policy if it significantly deviates from their ideal point or the status quo. Since 7 is not far from the status quo or the court’s ideal, C would not strike it down.

Flashcard 18:

• Question: Where will policy end up in a model where the Court can strike down policy, but it is not overturned?

• Answer: 7.

  • Explanation: In this model, the policy will remain at A’s ideal point (7) because the Court does not strike it down, and the legislative process is unlikely to alter it.

Flashcard 19:

• Question: In a model with a court, what’s the range of policies the court prefers to the ideal point of the median voter in the legislature?

• Answer: 3 - 5.

  • Explanation: The court prefers policies in the range of 3 to 5, which is closer to the ideal point of the median voter in the legislature (3).

Flashcard 20:

• Question: Where would A implement policy to avoid being overturned when the court’s ideal point is 4?

• Answer: 5.

  • Explanation: To avoid judicial review and overturning, A will set policy closer to the court’s ideal point of 4, but also ensuring it is close enough to A’s own preferences.

Flashcard 21:

• Question: Does the presence of a court engaging in judicial review affect policy outcomes, and how?

• Answer: The presence of the court either leaves policy unchanged or moves it closer to the median voter in the legislature.

  • Explanation: A court can adjust policy by either striking it down or allowing it to remain as is. The final policy outcome often ends up closer to the median voter in the legislature due to the court’s influence.

Flashcard 22:

• Question: In a scenario with veto players A, B, and C, what would be the final policy outcome when voting over P1 versus the status quo (SQ)?

• Answer: At the status quo policy.

  • Explanation: If the veto players’ preferences do not align with P1, they would block it, and the final policy would remain at the status quo.

Flashcard 23:

• Question: In a scenario with veto players A, B, and C, what would be the final policy outcome when voting over P2 versus the status quo (SQ)?

• Answer: At P2.

  • Explanation: If the veto players prefer P2 over the status quo, they will approve it, and the final policy outcome will be at P2.