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39 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the features of the Australian, or secret ballot? |
- printed by the state (not by individual parties) - organizes candidates by party - distributed only at polling place - taken secretly It insulates voters from pressure to vote a certain way. |
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What are the benefits of indirect democracy? |
It's efficient, and it makes the voting process simpler. |
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What is the difference between one-party and multi-party states? |
In a one-party state the party has constitutional and institutional standing. It is the only party with legal legitimacy. In multi-party states parties have no constitutional standing. Parties arise for functional reasons. |
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List some party activities. |
- recruitment of citizens - bringing new voters into the system - categorize political interests; individuals can orient themselves politically - educating voters - training future leaders - organize legislative branch; allow legislators to coordinate positions and provide means for discipline or rewards - offer consultation to population; provide means for political expertise |
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What are some of the pros and cons of first-past-the-post electoral systems? |
Pros: - easy to count votes - efficient Cons: - not representative - minority governments |
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What are some of the pros and cons of proportional representation? |
Pros: - more representative than FPTP - smaller parties stand more of a chance Cons: - minority governments - potentially inefficient |
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What are sources of voter apathy? |
- the idea that individual votes don't matter - tied to scale issues: modern states operate on a large scale, and ridings can be drawn intentionally so that certain votes really don't matter - overwhelmed by information - sense of alienation from politics - dissatisfaction with options, or with system |
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What is the argument for voter apathy as a positive thing? |
Some people argue that apathy reflects satisfaction with the current situation, and that high voter turnout points to conflict. |
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Why do political parties arise? |
For mostly functional reasons: they organize candidates ideologically, and help facilitate elections, by making them more efficient. This is directly related to increased suffrage: populations became larger and more diverse, and political parties help to represent these populations and make things move smoothly. |
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How has voting been restricted in the past? |
- age - gender - literacy - socio-economic class - birthright |
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In terms of political culture, what are the functions of political parties? |
- organize along ideological lines - orient attitudes - facilitate political participation - create a bridge between culture and politics |
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What are the two types of socialization? |
Formal socialization, set by the state. Informal socialization, handled by families and society in general. |
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What are opinion polls used for? |
Opinion polls are used in the formation of public policy. They are useful for two things: - determining the importance of a policy - determining the popularity of a policy Opinion shapes policy and policy shapes opinion. |
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What is parochial political culture? |
Political culture where citizens feel they are removed from, are uninformed and have little impact on decision making. |
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What is subject political culture? |
Citizens are informed, but have little impact on decision making. |
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What is participant political culture? |
Citizens play an active role in the political process, engage with politics, and have an impact on decision making processes. |
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What is political socialization? |
The process through which individuals are educated and assimilated into the political culture of the community. Can be formal (through the state, education, etc.) or informal (by parents, friends, media, etc.). |
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What role does the media play in political culture and socialization? |
- determining and responding to public opinion - informs people - a check for government actions (idea of media as the 4th estate) |
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What are some requirements for the media to function as the 4th estate/a check on the government? |
- neutrality - objectivity - independence The media must allow people to make up their own minds, and should be separate from the state so it can act as a watchdog. |
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What is civil society? |
Refers to the actions and organization of private citizens around shared goals, interests, and values. Includes any group that is not a part of the state, or that does not operate in the interest of gaining political office. In political science this means NGOs. |
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What are NGOs? |
Non-governmental organizations. Serve as a bridge between the state and society at large. Lobby the government for their particular interests. NGOs want to alter or influence policy without taking office. |
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Why are NGOs controversial? |
NGOs are insulated from accountability because they don't want to take office - they are informal. They are also potentially elitist! They do not represent all actors in society, just a group of them. |
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What are arguments against NGOs and pressure/interest groups? |
- they have undue influence on the government - revolving door issue: elected officials leaving the government may just work for NGOs when their term ends, giving the NGO access to many resources and connections - may be elitist, just reflect the interests of the rich and powerful |
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What is lobbying? |
A form of direct pressure applied to the government by businesses or interest groups. |
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What is corporatism? |
A form of close cooperation and coordination between government, business, and labour. Government recognizes necessity of interest groups and organizes them itself, in the interest of curbing their influence while still gaining the stability and representation that they offer. Less representative, but influence is more manageable. |
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What are some issues with corporatism? |
- narrows range of groups represented - groups may cede to public interest, instead of representing their own interests so that they can continue to participate |
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What are three areas that comparative politics looks at? |
- historical period - system type - geographical region |
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What are the two types of reasoning? |
Inductive: observing, then generalizing out concepts and ideas. Deductive: beginning with theory and applying it to certain situations. |
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What is path dependency? |
The idea that a previous event provides opportunities that influence later, following events. A -------> B In comparative politics, path dependency tries to give a causal explanation for why states develop the ways that they do. Tied to British, French, and German history. |
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How are developed states defined? |
- generally includes Northern Europe, North America, Japan, New Zealand and Australia - industrialized nations that are part of a structurally integrated system of global capitalism - certain amount of per capita income (>12000 USD) - some measure of civil rights |
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How are developing states defined? |
- not a part of a structurally integrated system of global capitalism - may or may not have policies that respect human rights - high debt and inflation, low per capita income - large trade deficits - lack of industrialization - underdeveloped financial and/or legal systems |
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What is autarky? |
A condition of complete self-sufficiency and isolation from the rest of the system. Predicated on the form of protection of industry first. Accompanied by ethnic chauvinism, it leads to economic nationalism. Think Nazi Germany. |
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What are the differences in how Germany, England, and France developed? |
England: early industrialization lead by aristocracy and upper class people, legal system of inheritance helped people amass wealth. France: unified monarchy and aristocracy, less accumulation of wealth until the liberal French Revolution, which put the country on a path toward capitalism. Germany: industrialization implemented and lead by monarchy instead of democratically by the people, lead to sector specific industry. |
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What is the Breton Woods Accord? |
An international system of political economy designed to avoid the issues of autarky and to push states toward liberal capitalism. |
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What is the US Electoral College? |
A group of officials chosen from each state who directly elect the president and vice president. The number of officials per state is based on population with the idea of representation, not democracy. |
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What is the main problem with the Electoral College? |
It isn't democratic! It's representative. |
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What is development? |
Complex, but: Generally seen as the political and economic move toward liberal capitalist democracy. |
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What are the conditions of political development? |
- competitive party system - institutions that represent diversity - open and transparent electoral system - free, independent media - independent bureaucracy - independent legal system - restraints on use of force and the military - territorial integrity - public education and viable healthcare system - gender equality |
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What are three points of the UN's human development criteria? |
- income - life expectancy - literacy |
