POLI 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Uk Independence Party, Montesquieu, Boaty Mcboatface
26 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Different formulas shape political behaviour, strategies, policies, individuals. In liberal democracies, one person has one vote overall turnout is perhaps the most important calculation => declining in recent yrs. Europe is usually higher in europe than north america which is explained by important role of political parties. District represented by one person in parliament. Wasted votes:(there can be a mismatch between % of votes and % of seats) Skew favours large parties, disadvantages smaller parties (unless they are regionally concentrated) Forces a party to expand beyond narrow interests (moderating effect; =>caveat: stability only if voters are themselves moderate) Encourages more stable system (2+ party system) House of commons: 650 seats corresponding to constituency/district/riding. 650 separate elections on voting day, held together by political party branding and campaigns with party leaders (go to other districts than theirs) Winner receives the most votes within their district (the plurality) National election won by the party with the most seats.
