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ICP > Electoral System > Flashcards

Electoral System Flashcards

1
Q

what are the four main aims of electoral systems?

A
  1. Proportionality
  2. Effectiveness
  3. Simplicity
  4. Responsiveness
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2
Q

what is meant by proportionality when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

how proportional is the representation in this system?

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3
Q

what is meant by effectiveness when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

how effective is it in structuring a stable parliament and government?

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4
Q

what is meant by simplicity when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

is the system easy to understand for voters?

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5
Q

what is meant by responsiveness when it comes to the aims of electoral systems?

A

how well does the system provide a link between MPs and citizens?

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6
Q

what are the two main types of electoral systems?

A
  1. majoritarian electoral systems
  2. proportional representation (PR) electoral systems
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7
Q

how do majoritarian electoral systems work?

A

elections take place in single member districts, and the winner takes all (requiring more than 50% of the votes)

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8
Q

how do proportional representation (PR) electoral systems work?

A

elections take place in multi-member districts, and the seats are allocated in proportion to the votes received

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9
Q

what are some example countries for majoritarian electoral systems?

A

France, Australia

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10
Q

what are some example countries for proportional representation (PR) electoral systems?

A

Netherlands, Belgium, Czechia

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11
Q

how do plurality electoral systems work?

A

voters vote for individual candidates, winning candidate needs more votes than any other single candidate

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12
Q

how do mixed electoral systems work?

A

voters vote for both individual candidates and party lists, it is a mix of PR and plurality districts

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13
Q

what are some example countries for plurality electoral systems?

A

United States, United Kingdom, Canada

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14
Q

what are some example countries for mixed electoral systems?

A

Japan, Hungary, Thailand

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15
Q

what are the four differences for the variety of proportional representation (PR) systems?

A
  1. Degree of choice of candidates
  2. Level of threshold (hurdle set in advance)
  3. District magnitude
  4. Formula for seat allocation
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16
Q

what is the relationship between district magnitude and proportionality?

A

the larger the districts are the more proportional election outcomes are

17
Q

what are the consequences of plurality and majoritarian electoral systems?

A

-disproportionality and underrepresentation of minority groups

HOWEVER

-stable party system and single-party governments

18
Q

what are the consequences of proportional representation (PR) electoral systems?

A

high levels of proportionality and better minority representation

HOWEVER

-party system fragmentation and government instability

19
Q

what is the Gallagher Index?

A

measures an electoral system’s relative disproportionality between votes received and seats in a legislature

20
Q

what is Duverger’s Law?

A

countries with a majoritarian electoral system have a two-party system due to mechanical effects and psychological effects

21
Q

what are the mechanical effects that Duverger’s Law talks about?

A

the two-party system tends to eliminate small parties

22
Q

what are the psychological effects that Duverger’s Law talks about?

A

the two-party system leads people to vote logically (so not small parties)

23
Q

are the mechanical and psychological effects of Duverger’s Law related?

A

yes, the psychological effects reinforce the mechanical effects

24
Q

why is it difficult for electoral systems to change?

A

because the constitutions protect them

25
Q

what are the two types of manipulations that can drastically change how electoral systems operate?

A

-manipulating districts

-manipulating legal thresholds

26
Q

what are the two main ways of manipulating districts?

A

malapportionment and gerrymandering

27
Q

what is malapportionment?

A

strategic imbalances in districts (two districts with very different populations have the same number of MPs)

28
Q

what is gerrymandering?

A

-manipulating district boundaries to change the composition of voters

-manipulating constituency boundaries to manufacture a majority vote for a candidate

29
Q

what is a way to manipulate legal thresholds?

A

manipulating legal barriers (% of votes) to enter parliament

ICP (12 decks)

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