POLS3311 FINAL

Closed list proportional representation – candidates are elected according to their pre-stated position on the list

Open list proportional representation – allow voters to cast votes for individual candidates on one’s party list

Alternative vote – a majoritarian electoral system in which one legislator is elected from each district and voters have the opportunity to rank order the candidates

Mixed electoral system – when voters elect some representatives with a majoritarian electoral system and some with a proportional electoral system

Natural threshold – the minimum level of voter support a party needs to obtain legislative representation that arises as a mathematical byproduct of the electoral system

Formal threshold – the minimum level of voter support a party needs to obtain legislative representation explicitly written into the electoral system

Presidential democracy – a democracy in which the government doesn't depend on a legislative majority to exist

Parliamentary democracy – a democracy in which the government depends on a legislative majority to exist and the head of state is not popularly elected for a fixed term

Semi-presidential democracy – a democracy in which the government depends on a legislative majority to exist and the head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term

Vote of no confidence – a vote initiated by the legislature, if the government doesn't obtain a legislative majority in this vote then it must resign

Constructive vote of no confidence – 

Minority government – a government in which the governmental parties don't jointly command a majority of legislative seats

Surplus majority government – a government in which the cabinet includes more parties than are strictly necessary to control a majority of legislative seats

Legislative responsibility – a situation in which a legislative majority has the constitutional power, a vote of no confidence, to remove a government from office without cause

Investiture vote – a formal vote in the legislature to determine whether a proposed government can take office

Formateur – a person designated to form the government in a parliamentary regime; often the PM designate

Office-seeking politician – a politician interested in the intrinsic benefits of office

Policy-seeking politician – a politician interested in shaping policy

Minimal winning coalition (MWC) – a coalition in which there are no parties that aren't required to control a legislative majority

Least minimal winning coalition – the MWC with the with the lowest number of surplus seats

Connected coalition – a coalition in which the member parties are located next to each other in the policy space

Presidential decree – an order by a president that has the force of law; the scope and extent may vary country to country

Portfolio coalition – a coalition composed of those legislators belonging to parties in a cabinet

Legislative coalition – a voting bloc composed of legislators who support a piece of legislation

District magnitude – 

Majoritarian electoral system – 

Single-member district plurality – a system where voters cast a single candidate-centered vote in single-member districts; the candidate with the most votes, even if they do not have a majority of the votes, is elected from the district

Single non transferable vote – an electoral system used to elect multiple winners

A majority runoff two-round system – a system in which voters cast a single candidate-centered vote in a single-member district

Proportional representation system – a system that aims to produce proportional outcomes and to reduce the disparity between a party’s share of vote and share of seats

Cross-cutting cleavages – occur when a country’s cleavage structure is uncorrelated

Reinforcing cleavages – occur when a country’s cleavage structure is correlated

Duverger’s Law – states that single member district plurality systems encourage two party systems

Duverger’s theory – states that the size of a country’s party system depends on both social and institutional factors; social divisions create the “demand” for political parties, and electoral institutions then determine the extent to which this demand is translated into parties that win votes (electoral parties) and parties that win seats (legislative parties)

Mechanical effects of electoral laws – refers to the way that votes are translated into seats; when electoral systems are disproportional the mechanical effect will reward large parties and punish smaller parties

Strategic effects of electoral laws – refers to how the way in which votes are translated into seats influences the “strategic” behavior of voters and elites

Federal state – a state in which sovereignty us constitutionally split between at least two territorial levels so that independent governmental units at each level have final authority in at least one policy realm

Congruent federalism – when the territorial units of a federal country share a similar demographic makeup with another and the country as a whole

Incongruent federalism – when the demographic makeup of territorial units differs among the units and the country as a whole

Symmetric federalism – when the territorial units of a federal country possess equal powers relative to the central government 

Asymmetric federalism – when some territorial units enjoy more extensive powers than others relative to the central government

Capabilities (the good society) approach – uses capability approach to examine political systems and measure them against the qualities of a “good society”

Corporatist interest group system – a system of interest representation and policymaking whereby corporate groups come together and negotiate contracts/policy on the basis of their interests

Pluralist interest group system – a system of multiple pressure points within governing institutions allowing numerous organized interests to compete over the shape of public policy

Universal entitlements (social policy) – a system where all citizens within a society are eligible to receive a certain benefit/service regardless of their income or individual circumstances, essentially treating access to these services as a basic right for everyone

Social insurance (social policy) – a type of welfare that provides economic security through government programs that protect people from economic risks

Means tested public assistance (social policy) – a government program where eligibility for benefits is determined by assessing an individual or family’s income or assets

Power-sharing (in the context of ethnically divided societies) – a practice in conflict resolution where multiple groups distribute power among themselves according to agreed rules

Resource curse – countries with abundant natural resources tend to have poor governance and economic performance; paradox of plenty