POL 114

Question 1

What is federalism?

Answer 1

Balance of power between nat/ sub governments, each level has jurisdiction on certain areas, different governing abilities and responsibilities

Question 2

What is a unitary system?

Answer 2

Nat/central government has all legitimate power, lower level divisions can exist with limited authority

Question 3

What are the qualities of federalism (elements)?

Answer 3

Written constitution (set of rules/contract), bicameralism (various representation), disproportional representation (not based on population), process for amendments, decentralized power

Question 4

Why do federal systems exist?

Answer 4

Larger territories with disparate groups, amount of land expansive to govern with one central system, ethnic tensions creates difficulty (ex. Canada, Nigeria)

Question 5

How do federal systems help to ease conflict?

Answer 5

Help account for regional differences (ex US), solve problems at lower levels of government (ex school curriculums), ease social divisions (ex removing bias and solving issues)

Question 6

Incongruent vs congruent federalism

Answer 6

Incongruent- the smaller districts have a demographic makeup which is not similar to one another or the country as a whole (ex separate red, blue, green, yellow districts, each has their own and is not similar to one another or whole country)

Congruent- the smaller districts have a demographic makeup which is similar to one another and the country as a whole, equal demographic distribution (ex each district has similar amounts of red, blue, green, yellow and represents the whole country on a smaller scale)

Question 7

What are the barriers to representation for women?

Answer 7

Implied domestic duties, cultural attitudes, lack of family support, lack of confidence, lack of finances (incumbent women are more financially supported than newcomers)

Question 8

What are gender quotas?

Answer 8

Policies regarding elections with the goal of having more women elected into government; must exist in an enabling environment where quotas are not considered the main reason for women’s election

Question 9

What is the history of the creation of gender quotas?

Answer 9

CEDAW- official claim that discrimination against women in politics needed to eliminated, needed to have equal opportunities in government to men

Beijing platform for action- called for gender equity in National Assemblies, initial 33% quota, state action to substantially increase representation

Question 10

Why were gender quotas necessary, rationale?

Answer 10

Ensures critical mass of women in decision making, minimum level in political positions necessary to create change, places the burden on those in the candidate recruitment process

Question 11

What types of quotas exist?

Answer 11

Reserved seats- percentage of seats saved for women, implemented through best loser or only women are competing against each other

Candidate quotas- organized lists to reach quotas through recruitment, minimum needed on list voting

Voluntary party quotas- more difficult to achieve but easier to legislate, voluntary participation, doesn’t interfere with internal affairs of party, adds legitimacy to women’s power

Question 12

How are gender quotas implemented, what is the most effective strategies?

Answer 12

Implemented through parliaments, ministers, committees, electoral boards, commissions, corporations, any other decision making entities

Best to use gender neutral language, helps to ease tensions
Ex. 20% of seats for women versus no less than 20% of seats to a single gender

Needs to emphasize inclusivity, varies between laws

Question 13

Arguments for and against quotas

Answer 13

AGAINST- could limit the amount of possible women participation, parties wont voluntarily adopt inclusive candidate nominations, not enough (skilled) women candidates available, candidate selection should be based on merit

FOR- promotes equal representation, women’s experience will benefit politics, critical mass helps women get elected, women tend to cooperate in peace and invest in the community

Question 14

Do gender quotas work?

Answer 14

Placement and enforcement determine effectiveness, need support of parties and written law, guidelines need to be established, ensure positions are actually winnable and back legitimacy

Can work and be legitimate under the right circumstances

Question 15

Why is the UK government significant?

Answer 15

Invented Westminster parliamentary system (the first one), easy comparison to the US, longest standing democracy in the world, spectacular decline and backslide from power, example of politics of the EU (Brexit), devolution and regional politics

Question 16

What is the UK sequence of development (a really good one for building democracy)?

Answer 16

1. Establish unified national identity
2. Establish authority within the state, add legitimacy
3. Establish a liberal democracy
4. Industrial revolution and the emergence of classes
5. Expand suffrage to a wider population

Question 17

How did the UK establish unity?

Answer 17

Continually transferred power to the commoners from the nobility, made an identity through national church and empirical abilities

Question 18

What is the Magna Carta (ID)?

Answer 18

Law passed in which nobles were consulted on taxation policies, king was not alone in decision making, considered an important document in the establishment of democracy and a step in devolution (1815)

Question 19

What is the Westminster parliamentary system? Why is the design of the House of Commons important?

Answer 19

Design contributes to a majoritarian 2 party system, House of Commons faces the parties on opposite sides against each other, minority party has corresponding offices to the majority, open space in the middle and intense debate encouraged (ex question time follow up question)

Question 20

What is the collectivist consensus (1955 post war UK)?

Answer 20

Agreement on piecemeal reform, agreement on foreign affairs (iron curtain speech), expansion of social services including National Health Service, guaranteed subsistence level welfare benefits, nationalization of industries- this contributed to downfall of British empire

Question 21

Winston Churchill- ID

Answer 21

Prime minister of England during world war 2 and beginning of the Cold War, emphasized welfare policies and gave the iron curtain speech against communism in east Berlin/ germany; important figure during the war in guiding England and allied powers

Question 22

Why did the english economy decline so rapidly and dramatically?

Answer 22

Rankings drop 27 spots 150 years

Explanations: aging infrastructure, international conflicts spent money, loss of empire led to no natural resources, spent a lot on welfare programs and not economy

Question 23

Margaret Thatcher- ID

Answer 23

Prime minister of England from 1979-1997, conservative leader of the 80’s, divided British politics for the first time in 35 years, lowered taxes dramatically, widespread privatization, anti union policies; head of neoliberal revolution w/ Reagan

Demise was implementation of poll taxes (flat tax rate), severely opposed to the EU

Gifted speaker and leader of the Conservative party, controversial but important legacy

Question 24

What are examples of the transatlantic connection between the UK and US?

Answer 24

Thatcher and Reagan simultaneously led conservative parties, neoliberal policies and figureheads of party

Elections of Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, recentralization of democratic parties, third way candidates, “sellouts” on democratic ideology, pull back from liberal extremes

Brought together on fight against terrorism, led to Blair’s demise

Question 25

1982 miner’s strike/ famous suicide note- ID

Answer 25

Miners strike on lack of payment and dangerous labor, Thatcher responds by closing down the mines Labor party responds by moving further left and adapting policies to be more liberal, wrote a letter announcing their policies which prevented them from gaining power, famous suicide note Allowed for traction of Conservative party to gain power, Thatcher government was strengthened, contribution to the neoliberal revolution

Question 26

Tony Blair- ID

Answer 26

Leader of labor party, elected as PM in 1997, third way candidate with more centralized policies, demise was 2010 missile strike on WOMO, brought the Conservative party back to power

Question 27

What is the composition of the UK’s constitution?

Answer 27

Made up from statutes, common law, customs and conventions, and legal commentary NON CODIFIED, allows for flexibility, both benefits and drawbacks, no formal constitution like US

Question 28

How does representation work in House of Commons?

Answer 28

Trusteeship, elected trusted persons supposed to do the right thing, less perceivable direct than US Collective responsibility- power concentrated in the cabinet, once a decision is made everyone must support it, take accountability for their policy making?

Question 29

How does the executive branch function UK?

Answer 29

King and prime minister, separate heads of state and heads of gov, king is a figurehead and always supports the actions of parliament, prime minister selects cabinet and is recently more personalistic

Question 30

How does the house of commons/ House of Lords function?

Answer 30

Commons- 650 single member districts, debates less structured, more ruckuss, bless your heart vibe, question time forces representatives to be up to date and understand events, also holds PM accountable Lords- previously a check on the commons, lifetime tenure, now plays an advisory role to parliament, advises on laws and has limited powers

Question 31

What are the issues surrounding Brexit?

Answer 31

Referendum led to exit of Britain from the EU for economic reasons, open borders Economy previously tied to the rest of Europe, management was difficult, Brexit unpopular outside of english island, devolution and possible loss of territories

Question 32

What is the difference between corporatism and pluralism (basic)?

Answer 32

Corporatism- interest groups and divisions formed by the state, all report back to the state in chain linkage, vertical arrangement, accountable to state due to funding and interest promulgation Pluralism- interest groups independently formed, competitive, not state run but responsible for lobbying, horizontal respondence, not dependent on state funds

Question 33

Why did the US allow corporatism and authoritarian regime in Mexico compared to other Latin countries?

Answer 33

Connections and stability were present Mexico was authoritarian but not communist, not biggest issue for the US; this changed with NAFTA agreement and forced democratization (for reals this time)

Question 34

Porfirio Díaz- ID

Answer 34

Dictator of Mexico for a long period, tried to “set up democratic institutions”, advocated that US intervention with Mexico was important

Question 35

What was the significance of the Mexican revolution (1910)?

Answer 35

Diaz had someone run against him in 1910 election, brought together multiple parts of Mexican society, led to the constitution of 1917 (modernly used) Importance: created a foothold for the rise of the PRI, source of legitimacy and created a platform

Question 36

Who were the leaders of the Mexican revolution (ID people)?

Answer 36

Zapatera, Poncho Villa- led the agrarian movement of the revolution Carranza- argued for agrarian reform, labor laws politician

Question 37

How is the Mexican political system composed (on paper and really)?

Answer 37

Direct presidential elections, legislative bicameral split Actually, more dominant by one party and complicated version of a presidential system Morena party is acting as a reconstruction of corporatist authoritarian model

Question 38

How is the PRI party constructed, how did they maintain power from 1929-2000 (authoritarian)?

Answer 38

Party built on principles of corruption, patron-client relationships, no reelection of presidents Dedazo- current president chooses upcoming politicians and successor to maintain the party Corporatism- repressed and represented people simultaneously, top down structure, state organized, categories of people kept interest groups in line and and organized funding **example of Dahl’s framework and inclusive hegemony**

Question 39

Why is the Mexican presidential system significant?

Answer 39

Formal powers to appoint officials, informal power to pick the next president (dedazo), power to initiate legislation, power to determine PRI candidates and government structure, until 2000, no division, seniority, experience

Question 40

What tools did the PRI use to maintain power?

Answer 40

Limited terms, pyramid structure where politicians had to work hard and cooperate to move up, controlled all media and money of the state, had access to the voters and funds necessary to maintain power Other parties continually lacked access, effective political machine

Question 41

What were the factors in the downfall of the PRI?

Answer 41

Questioning began in 1980’s, PAN won the presidency in 2000 with a double minority presidency, hard to legislate but started to build an effective democracy Also a result of the NAFTA agreement and more US regulation

Question 42

Why has violence increased so much in Mexico since the 2000’s?

Answer 42

Reduction of cartel families in Colombia, proximity to the US with a huge market and easy access to guns, challenges with mitigation and reduction Hydra effect- take out one boss, 2 come back to replace the head of the snake Balloon effect- pressure on one area moves the issues to another area Profits effect- supply and demand drives up the price and profitability of the market

Question 43

Why is the french case study important (unique elements)?

Answer 43

Trial and error, semi presidential, revolution and evolution, lab for study of constitutions, declining colonial power 3rd and 4th republic, 1 of 2 successful political revolutions in the world

Question 44

Order of development (compare to Britain, like the same)

Answer 44

1. Establish legitimate authority and national identity 2. Relationship between church and state 3. Establish liberal democracy 4. Industrial revolution and suffrage

Question 45

What were the effects of the French Revolution?(1789)

Answer 45

Unleashed a period of instability in establishing the second republic (first was the monarchy), the state and authority versus representation and democratic traditions Trouble getting a democratic foothold, only happened after the Second World War

Question 46

Charles du Gaule- ID

Answer 46

Leader throughout 3rd, 4th, 5th republics, helped establish democracy and created a system which would uphold for a longer period, established a stable government

Question 47

What changes were made between the french 4th and 5th republic?

Answer 47

Changed from fully parliamentary to semi presidential, helped create stability and less turnover Elected parliament with a prime minister, direct presidential election, fixed terms- more executive power to fix previous issues, president has influence over the prime minister due to notoriety, helps control the National Assembly and acts as a guiding figure for the country President and prime minister act as a team, cohabitation can cause issues (different parties), not deadly

Question 48

How does the french National Assembly work?

Answer 48

Single member districts, majority vote needed in the first round (50% + 1 vote), if no majority is reached second round elections only need a plurality (the most votes) Multi party system but not chaotic, fosters diverse opinions Small parties can also be represented Constitution is very easy to make amendments to, can change the election types

Question 49

Quadrille System- ID

Answer 49

2 major coalitions with 2 smaller parties within, 4 parties in power overall, represents minority and majority opinions simultaneously Has fostered a manageable multi party system where legislation is still effective and accomplished

Question 50

Jean Marie Lepew & Marine Lepew- ID

Answer 50

Leaders of the right wing party National Front, 2002 election showed conservative resurgence and percentage of vote has increased since said election, anti establishment trend Daughter has led conservative force towards more success, shows right wing resurgence trend rising in Europe and a sign of weakened democracy

Question 51

Emanuel Macron- ID

Answer 51

Created a new party En Marche in 2012, came to power in 2017 Currently serves as the french president Not traditional party, but effective in preserving the 5th republic

Question 52

Why is china a unique government?

Answer 52

1 party communist state, rapidly growing world power, transformed society, scary way to end poverty, biggest country in the world, interesting economy

Question 53

China political timeline

Answer 53

Imperial era 2205 bce to 1911 Nationalism/chaos 1911 to 1949 Maoism 1949 to 1976 After Mao 1976 to 2000’s Today- developing and rapidly growing

Question 54

What historical events have influenced china’s current political policies?

Answer 54

The Middle Kingdom, consider themselves the center of the world, strong empirical leadership, dynastic rule for majority of history, history repeats itself, minimal western influence and no capitalist tendencies

Question 55

Why is Nigeria an important case study?

Answer 55

Good reflection of African democratization, deep divisions and ethnic tensions, case of the resource curse, unequal country with wealth disparity, largest population in Africa, lab for testing institutions

Question 56

How did European colonialism impact the development of Nigerian politics?

Answer 56

Berlin conference divided the continent without regards for ethnic groups and borders Caused conflict in colonial age and the future because the geographic borders never matched ethnic ones Britain also didn’t set up a framework for democracy and left uneducated Nigerians on their own

Question 57

How do the ethnic groups of Nigeria compete for power?

Answer 57

Hausa- northern Muslims, dominant in politics throughout democratic history Yoruba- western region, Christian, dominant in economics Igbo- southeast Christians, dominant in military based on history Politics became a zero sum game because each group wanted power, difficult to gain representation

Question 58

What factors influenced the establishment of democracy in Nigeria, good or bad?

Answer 58

Influenced by the divided context of the ethnic groups, caused by British boundaries, colonial policies, nature of their independence movement (no trained bureaucrats)

Question 59

Why is Nigeria an example of incongruent federalism?

Answer 59

3 states created based on the ethnic divisions, demographic makeup of the states doesnt match the makeup of the country as a whole