Unit 2 POSC 105 Exam Review
Unit 2 Overview
Focus: Political institutions and regime types
Democracy
Key elements:
Vertical accountability (participation): The ability of citizens to hold leaders accountable through mechanisms such as elections, civil society engagement, and public scrutiny. (media and speech)
Horizontal accountability (decentralized power): The capacity of institutions to check the power of other institutions, ensuring that no single entity can dominate or abuse authority, often through systems of checks and balances and parties.
Freedoms/Human Rights: The fundamental rights and freedoms that all individuals are entitled to, including civil liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to a fair trial, which are essential for a functioning democracy and promote active citizenship. Legal Framework: The established laws and regulations that protect individual rights and outline the responsibilities of government entities, thus providing a foundation for the protection of freedoms and the enforcement of human rights. Political Culture: The set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments that shape the behavior of citizens towards politics and their involvement in civic activities, influencing the overall health of democratic governance.
Political Participation: The various ways in which citizens engage and influence the political process, including voting, campaigning, advocacy, and participation in civic organizations, which are crucial for a vibrant democracy.
Media and Speech: The role of media in shaping public opinion and political discourse, fostering informed debate among citizens, and serving as a platform for freedom of expression, which are vital for democratic engagement.
Comparison of democratic systems:
Parliamentary vs Presidential systems:
Parliamentary systems: Characterized by a fusion of powers where the executive branch derives its legitimacy from the legislative branch, often resulting in a more stable government with fewer political parties.
Presidential systems: Feature a clear separation of powers, where the president serves as both the head of state and government, allowing for distinct checks and balances but often leading to political gridlock.
Electoral systems: These systems determine how votes are translated into political power and can significantly influence party dynamics and governance outcomes. Common types include first-past-the-post, proportional representation, and ranked-choice voting.
Single-member district (majoritarian): A system where one representative is elected for each electoral district, commonly used in first-past-the-post systems, which can lead to a stronger connection between constituents and their elected officials.
Multi-member district (proportional): A system where multiple representatives are elected from a single electoral district, allowing for a more proportional representation of various political parties and their constituents, which can encourage a wider variety of viewpoints within the legislature.
Impact of electoral systems on political parties (Duverger’s law): According to Duverger’s law, single-member district systems tend to favor a two-party system, while proportional representation systems encourage multi-party systems, as they allow smaller parties to gain representation and influence in the legislature.
Coalition governments challenges: Coalition governments can face several challenges, such as instability due to conflicting interests among parties, difficulty in reaching consensus on policy decisions, and the potential for decreased accountability to voters as parties may prioritize coalition agreements over individual party platforms.
Democracy-non-democracy continuum, with examples like Hungary:
Society, Attitudes, and Ideology
Societal connections formed through identities and interests
Political attitudes spectrum: ranging from strong liberalism to strong conservatism. This spectrum influences individuals' perspectives on issues such as governance, civil rights, and social justice, reflecting the diverse beliefs within a democracy.
Radical, liberal (progressive), moderate, conservative, reactionary
Political ideologies:
Define a set of beliefs about the proper role of government, economy, and society. Ideologies include:
civil society: a sphere of social interaction arising from the human needs for belonging and identifying within a community, encompassing non-governmental institutions such as charities and community organizations.
Radical: Advocates for significant and immediate change in political systems and social structures, often through revolutionary means.
Liberal (Progressive): Supports reform and gradual change to improve society, emphasizing individual rights and social justice.
Moderate: Seeks a balanced approach, often blending ideas from both liberal and conservative ideologies to reach consensus solutions.
Conservative: Prefers maintaining traditional institutions and resisting rapid change, stressing stability and continuity in society and government.
Reactionary: Desires a return to a previous state or order, often opposing modernity and progressive changes.
Liberal, social democrat, communist, fascist:
Liberal: Advocates for civil rights, social freedoms, and a mixed economy, supporting progressive reforms within the framework of democracy.
Social Democrat: Promotes political democracy alongside social justice, often advocating for regulated capitalism and welfare policies.
Communist: Seeks to establish a classless society by abolishing private ownership of the means of production, emphasizing collective ownership and control by the working class.
Fascist: Advocates for a centralized authoritarian government, often characterized by dictatorial power, extreme nationalism, and suppression of political dissent.
Comparative Method
Mill’s method of comparison: Involves analyzing different societies and their institutions to identify key similarities and differences, aiming to draw broader conclusions about social and political phenomena.
Case selection purpose:
Most Similar Systems Design: a research approach that seeks to examine cases that are similar in many ways but differ in the outcome of interest, allowing for a focused analysis of the variables that account for the differences observed.
Most Different Systems Design: a research approach that examines cases that are very different from one another but share the same outcome of interest, thereby facilitating an analysis of the common factors that might contribute to that shared result.
Authoritarianism
Deficits in democratic pillars lead to non-democracy (authoritarianism)
Types of authoritarianism:
Totalitarianism: A political system where the state seeks to regulate nearly every aspect of public and private life.
Personalist Regimes: A form of authoritarianism centered around a single leader, who exercises power in a highly centralized and often repressive manner.
Military Dictatorship: A regime in which the military controls the government, often following a coup d'état.
Hybrid Regimes: Systems that exhibit both authoritarian and democratic features, allowing for limited political freedoms alongside significant state control.
Theocracy: A political system where religious leaders control the government, and policies are heavily influenced by religious doctrine.
Consolidated: personal rule, absolute monarchy, military rule, one-party rule, theocracy
Competitive authoritarianism: A regime where formal democratic institutions exist, but are undermined by the ruling party's use of coercive state power to stifle opposition and limit genuine electoral competition.
Example: Turkey
Authoritarian regimes require some legitimacy for survival
Strategies for maintaining power:
Coercion: civil liberties repression, surveillance, terror: this includes the use of state violence and intimidation to suppress dissent and control the population.
Co-optation: corporatism, patrimonialism, clientelism: this involves integrating individuals or groups into the regime's structure through offers of benefits, such as jobs or resources, to secure loyalty and reduce opposition.
Legitimacy through charisma, populism, ideology: this strategy relies on the leader's ability to inspire and unite the masses, often using nationalist or ideological rhetoric to foster a sense of community and purpose, thereby enhancing their authority and diminishing the perceived need for coercion. Legitimacy through democratic institutions, rule of law, and elections: this strategy emphasizes the establishment of political processes that engage citizens and promote participation, which can help legitimize the regime's authority and foster public trust, mitigating the reliance on coercive measures.